Peabody Native Duff Among Field for Governor's Council Race

has opened up her seat on the Governor’s Council this fall and thus far seven candidates have emerged.

Peabody native Eileen Duff (now a Gloucester resident), Salem residents David Eppley and George O’Brine and Donald Bumiller of Boxford are the Democrats to enter the race for the Fifth District, which spans across 38 communities North of Boston. Republican candidates are Maura Ciardiello of Haverhill, Richard Miller and Ryan Madden (addresses for the latter two could not be confirmed).

Duff will kick off her campaign this Saturday at the .

A 1977 Peabody High grad, Duff now works as a chaplain for Hospice of the North Shore and Greater Boston, but her family has a long history in politics. Duff’s campaign literature says her father, Paul Duff, was active in local and state party politics while her mother, Mary Galluzzi Duff, worked at the Statehouse under Gov. Christian Herter in the 1950s and at the U.S. Capitol for the Eisenhower Administration.

She said her mother was also one of the parents that initially formed Peabody Parents of Children with Special Needs 30 years ago.

As a student, Duff interned for the late U.S. Congressman and former Peabody Mayor Nicholas Mavroules, and has also worked for the Federal Communications Commission and Keller Williams Realty. You can find her campaign website at www.voteduff.com.

Eppley, O’Brien and Bumiller are all attorneys.

Bumiller kicked off his campaign in March at the Polish Club in Danvers and can be found online at www.voteforbumiller.com. Eppley’s website is www.davideppley.org. O’Brine is on Facebook personally, but does not list a campaign page or website, while on the other side of the aisle, Ciardiello can be found on her Facebook page and neither Miller or Madden appear to have an online presence yet.

Manning has served on the eight-member council, which oversees judicial appointments in Massachusetts, since 2001.

The Fifth District

• Amesbury
• Andover
• Beverly
• Boxford
• Danvers
• Dracut
• Dunstable
• Essex
• Georgetown
• Gloucester
• Groton
• Groveland
• Hamilton
• Haverhill
• Ipswich
• Lawrence
• Lowell
• Manchester-by-the-Sea
• Merrimac
• Methuen
• Middleton
• Newbury
• Newburyport
• North Andover
• North Reading
• Peabody
• Pepperell
• Rockport
• Rowley
• Salem
• Salisbury
• Tewksbury
• Topsfield
• Tyngsboro
• Wenham
• West Newbury
• Westford
• Wilmington