Cole Takes Office as Peabody's New State Rep

Leah Cole was formally sworn into office this week at a ceremony at the State House.

It's official. Leah Cole was sworn in by Gov. Deval Patrick as the 12th Essex District representative for Peabody at the State House this week, and she's already getting down to business. Cole has filed a bill jointly sponsored by the other two members of Peabody's state delegation -- Rep. Ted Speliotis and Sen. Joan Lovely -- to remove the city's police and fire chief positions from the provisions of Civil Service law. The 24-year-old Republican won the open House seat in a hotly contested three-way special election on April 2 against seasoned city politicians Beverley Griffin Dunne and David Gravel to emerge victorious by just 73 votes in her first ever bid for public office. Cole succeeds the late Joyce Spiliotis. The Salem News reports…

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Cole Sworn in May 1 as Peabody's New State Rep

Peabody Republican Leah Cole will officially take office on Beacon Hill May 1, representing the 12th Essex District.

Peabody's new state representative will finally be sworn into office this week, just shy of a month after winning a closely contested three-way special election. Leah Cole tells Peabody Patch a ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday morning at the State House and she's ready to get to work. Cole, a 24-year-old Republican, narrowly defeated seasoned city politicians Beverley Griffin Dunne and David Gravel on April 2 in what was her first ever bid for public office. Cole is the 30th member of the GOP in the Mass. House of Representatives, which finally passed a $34 billion budget onto the Senate last week. She will, however, still get a chance to have a say on next year's state budget. Once the Senate agrees on a spending plan, the budget will …

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Cole Can't Wait to Get Started on Beacon Hill

Representative-Elect Leah Cole is just waiting to be officially sworn into office later this month. She says opposition to tax hikes and digging into welfare reform are top priorities.

[Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect a correction.] Before Leah Cole can take office on Beacon Hill, the results of last Tuesday's special election have to be certified by the Secretary of State's office. It's unclear when exactly that will happen. In the meantime, the young Republican Cole is looking for a chief of staff. She tells the Salem News she'd like to have someone from Peabody fill that role and will establish office hours for constituents once she is sworn in. Winning her first ever bid for public office, the 24-year-old Cole succeeds Joyce Spiliotis, who died in office last year, to represent Peabody and the 12th Essex District in the Mass. House of Representatives. Cole narrowly defeated Democrat Beverley …

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Saber Walsh

7:09 pm on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

TOTALLY AGREE! There's no reason for the delay. It's not like they are going to re-count any ballots, so this looks like yet another political game. Let her serve, and for Joyce's sake, let's get Peabody back in the game! BTW, classy note about Dunne.... she and Dave Gravel are good people, either would have done us proud. Now it's up to Leah.   more ›

Letter to the Editor

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: 'Mr. Apathy' Wins in a Landslide

McGeney says loss of Joyce Spiliotis and retirement of Fred Berry from representing Peabody on Beacon Hill created "leadership void the size of the Grand Canyon," yet 4 of 5 registered voters skipped out on their opportunity to elect a new representative

[The following letter was submitted by longtime School Committee member David McGeney.] The final results are in and the victory goes to “Mr. Apathy” in a landslide. None of the seasoned political observers could have predicted such a lopsided win for “Mr. Apathy” in a race with so much at stake. And yet, “Mr. Apathy” received support from 4 out of 5 registered voters. The abrupt vacancy of the 12th District State Representative seat due to the untimely death of Joyce Spiliotis combined with the retirement of State Senator Fred Berry created a leadership void the size of the Grand Canyon. For this reason alone “Mr. Apathy” was considered the longest of long shots. Finishing in a very distant 2nd place was newcomer Leah Cole who, by virtue …

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Cole Says Message of Fiscal Responsibility, Cutting Wasteful Spending Key to Victory

Peabody's new state representative for the 12th Essex District, Leah Cole, says she will be rolling out office hours for constituents in the next few weeks.

State Representative-Elect Leah Cole's campaign released a statement today, saying her hard won victory Tuesday at the polls was achieved through knocking on doors across Peabody and making connections with voters. That's all part of her pledge to be a "voice of the people." “Leah knocked on doors and brought her message of fiscal [responsibility], stopping wasteful spending and sending a voice of the people to the State House. I know [she] will be a fierce advocate for the city of Peabody,” said campaign manager Ryan Chamberland. “Our message was about the hard working people of Peabody. They want common sense leadership at the State House," Cole said. "I am a nurse not a politician, and I will wake up every day with the working class …

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Dunne, Disappointed, Says Will Be Back in 2014

Democrat Beverley Griffin Dunne finished a close second to Republican Leah Cole, losing by just 73 votes.

The entire room at the Ancient Order of Hibernians Hall was momentarily in shock at the numbers staring back at them on the white board Tuesday night -- Republican political newcomer Leah Cole, considered a longshot candidate for much of the race, had apparently managed to win. The City Clerk's office finally confirmed the results shortly before 9 p.m. -- Cole had defeated Democrat Beverley Griffin Dunne by 73 votes (1,878 to 1,805) and independent candidate Dave Gravel took third with 1,655 votes. Dunne said 73 votes wasn't enough of a margin for her to justify asking for a recount. According to the City Clerk's office, total voter turnout was 20 percent Tuesday. Dunne, 55, a local attorney, School Committee member and Peabody native, …

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David MacDonald

8:31 pm on Wednesday, April 3, 2013

These people have it correct, she is a tireless advocate for the Peabody School system, faculty, students, and parents.....Bruce have you ever met Beverley or her husband, asked them pointed questions, gained an understanding of what they stand for? Maybe you should thank her husband for his years of service in the Navy and thank her for sacrificing her time for being a level headed committee …   more ›

Who's Who and Where to Vote in State Rep Special Election

Here's your local guide to the State Representative special election on April 2.

Peabody holds its special election Tuesday to determine the city's next representative on Beacon Hill. In the 12th Essex District, which represents Ward 1 through 4 and Precinct 1 and 3 in Ward 5, there are three candidates vying for the seat left open by the death of Joyce Spiliotis last year. Republican Leah Cole, who defeated Greg Bunn in a party primary last month, now goes toe-to-toe with Democrat Beverley Griffin Dunne and unenrolled candidate Dave Gravel. Gravel will appear on Tuesday's ballot as an Independent, says City Clerk Tim Spanos. The March 5 primary saw just a 6 percent turnout with Dunne claiming the most votes -- 606, while Cole narrowly edged Bunn out of the running, 512-460. As an unenrolled candidate, Gravel did not …

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