No Opponent for Mayor, But Several Contests Likely in Other City Races

Mayor Ted Bettencourt may be getting a free ride back into the corner office for his second term, but there are several interesting city races shaping up elsewhere.

Bettencourt did tell the Salem News in a recent interview he still plans to hold three fundraisers in August, September and October and he hopes the lack of opponents indicates people think he's doing a "good job for the city."

There are now nine candidates who have pulled nomination papers to run for at-large seats on the Peabody City Council. Longtime councilor Jim Liacos says he wants to retire from the political scene and won't run for election in the fall, leaving one seat open.

Incumbents Mike Garabedian, Dave Gravel, Anne Manning-Martin and Tom Gould all want another term and they are being challenged by Scott Frasca, former state Rep. Tom Walsh, Library Trustee Margaret Tierney, Russ Donovan and Peter Bakula.

Frasca, Walsh and Tierney entered the race early on, but Donovan and Bakula just recently pulled papers. Neither man has held elected office before although Donovan has tried many times for the council and run for mayor.

Bakula, a Peabody native and records analyst with Ropes & Gray, said he's been politically active since he was a teenager and felt the time was right to "raise that level of activism to a larger role" and approach issues in the city with an "open mind" to try and find solutions.

In the ward races, Arthur Athas faces a challenge from Peter McGinn in Ward 2 and both Ward 3 and Ward 5 are open contests -- longtime councilor Dave Gamache announced early this year he was retiring from politics for now and Rico Mello, who has represented Ward 3 for 10 years, is also not seeking re-election.

In light of the "mayor of Route 1" retiring his mantle, Bob Croce and Joel Saslaw both entered the race for Ward 5 as soon as papers were available this spring.

In Ward 3, Tom Serino, who challenged Mello two years ago, is running against former councilor Bill Toomey as well as former councilor Jim Moutsoulas, who just recently pulled papers. If all three stay in the race that means a primary election on Sept. 17.

Moutsoulas also ran for state representative earlier this year, but never made it on the ballot due to a technicality. Gravel and Beverley Griffin Dunne ran as well for the seat with Dunne finishing closely behind Republican newcomer Leah Cole.

Barry Osborne, Bob Driscoll and Barry Sinewitz are not facing any challengers this year in Ward 1, 4 and 6, respectively.

Over on the School Committee, incumbents Jarrod Hochman, Tom Rossignoll and Dunne are facing a challenge from Neil Papamechail, although Papamechail has not returned his nomination papers in past attempts to run office.

Light Commissioner Charlie Bonfanti is running uncontested for another term and Library Trustees Jean Ahearn and Don McAllister are facing challenges from Paul Jordan Misci, Louis Chinappi, Stephanie Najjar and Robert Forti. There are four seats up for grabs.

Papers are due at the City Clerk's office with at least 50 signatures by July 30. The deadline to take out nomination papers was July 26.