[The following press release was submitted by the Committee to Elect Dave Gravel.]

Peabody City Councilor-at-Large and former school committeeman David Gravel officially kicked off his campaign for State Representative Jan. 25 at the AOH Hall in Peabody.

Peabody High coach Fernando Braz and former Peabody first lady Jackie Torigian introduced Gravel to an enthusiastic crowd of several hundred friends and supporters. Dave Gravel has been elected to serve the people of Peabody for over 13 years and is well known for his work in the business community and for his active support of community groups and organizations.

"I am running for State Representative because it is critical for Peabody to have a strong presence in the legislature. The retirement of Peabody’s great Senator Berry and the sad and untimely loss of Rep. Spiliotis put our city at a disadvantage and make it more important than ever that we send a strong and effective Representative to stand up for our city in the legislature. I believe my skills and experience as a city councilor, former school committeeman, local businessman, community volunteer and concerned citizen combine to give me the ability to make Peabody’s voice heard loud and clear on Beacon Hill," Gravel said.

Gravel has served on the Peabody City Council as a Councilor-at-Large since 2007. He was elected Council President in 2010. Gravel is credited with successfully restarting and completing the revision of citywide zoning ordinances. He served in multiple city committees including: Industrial and Community Development (Chair); Finance Committee; Municipal Safety; Ad-Hoc Committee on School/Municipal Consolidation (Chair); and the Mayor’s Economic Development Committee.

Gravel noted: "Mayor Ted Bettencourt is pursuing an ambitious agenda to build a new school, to revive our business community development, to repair our streets and mitigate flooding problems while at the same time keeping our taxes stable and our city services in tact. As a city councilor who is working with him, I know firsthand that to achieve those goals Peabody will need financial assistance and grants from the state. And Mayor Bettencourt will need a strong Representative partnering with him to secure that needed assistance from the state. I am prepared to be that determined partner and champion for Peabody."

Gravel also was elected and served on the Peabody School Committee from 1995 to 2003. During that time he chaired the Finance Committee, the Negotiations Committee, and the Brown School Building Committee. He was also a member of the Carroll School Building Committee and the Quality and Standards Committee. Gravel successfully settled contracts for seven unions and led the efforts to build new schools, renovate buildings and improve educational programs.

Gravel has demonstrated his commitment to Peabody through his involvement with organizations and community efforts. He served as Chairman/President of the Peabody Education Foundation and has been active on the boards and as a member of the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce and Peabody/Lynnfield YMCA. He successfully co-chaired the community development committee to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to build a new YMCA facility in Peabody.

Raised in Peabody, Gravel is one of six children and a product of the Peabody public school system. He graduated from Salem State College in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in English and from Babson College in 1984 with an MBA in finance and information systems. Gravel is founder and CEO of GraVoc Associates, Inc., a technology consulting firm in Peabody.

Gravel will be listed on the April 2 ballot as Unenrolled / Independent candidate. Gravel explained, "Although I am a life-long Democrat, I am required by law to run as an Independent in this election because while serving on our non-partisan City Council I decided to become an unenrolled voter to avoid any party partisan divisiveness on local issues."

If elected, Gravel will return to the Democrat designation. The Special Election final will be held April 2.