4 seek seats on Peabody City Council

Four candidates have filed for Peabody City Council.

They are Jennifer Bush, Randy Dallke, Beth Peter, and James Philpott.

The race also has drawn two write-in candidates who will not appear on the ballot. Bailey Penner and Andrew Rosine are campaigning based on bringing a younger outlook to the council.

Randy Dallke

Dallke spent 20 years as a county commissioner and four years before that as a council member and Peabody mayor.

That experience, he said, gives him the know-how to pull together the council to work for the good of the people.

Dallke echoed Burke’s concerns about transparency from city officials. Transparency is the No. 1 council need, Dallke said.

In his years as a commissioner, he learned how to present ideas to the public and work together as part of a group to accomplish things that benefit residents.

As an example, he said, building a jail taught him much about communicating with residents. After voters rejected a plan to build a large jail that would rent space to other counties, commissioners regrouped and planned for a county-only jail. After they presented that information to voters, voters approved construction.

Learning to work together is important, Dallke said.

“That’s how to get the best thing done for the public,” Dallke said. “There are issues in Peabody that need to be addressed. The last 20 years have been focused on Main St. Meanwhile, we have streets that you can’t drive down.”

He also thinks it’s better if residents can ask council members about things, and council members give knowledgeable answers.

“It’s about what is best for the public,” Dallke said.

He said Peabody voters needed to consider recent episodes when Peabody was the subject of statewide news, including the disappearance of an acting city clerk under investigation for alleged theft and a police officer hired in spite of allegations of wrongdoing in other states and being sued for police brutality elsewhere.

Dallke hopes voters will keep in mind how employees have been treated.

Peabody needs leadership, he said.

While Dallke appreciates younger candidates taking interest in running for office, he suspects it’s because of a hidden agenda by present mayor Catherine Weems.

“If our voters cannot look back, this might be the biggest bowel movement the city has had in recent years,” Dallke said. “We do have four good candidates who filed.”

Beth Peter

Peter wants to see the city expand housing and infrastructure.

“I would like to see affordable housing in the town of Peabody,” Peter said.

She also wants to reduce the amount of work the city contracts out and instead get employees hired.

Downtown business and street work also are high on her priority list.

James Philpott

Philpott, a lifelong Peabody resident, said he had been involved in many things and grew up around many quality leaders. That lifelong knowledge of the community and its people will help him do the job, he said.

He doesn’t see a list of services that should be either cut back or expanded but says the city needs to get positions filled.

“We need to hire quality people to fill the positions and let them do their jobs,” Philpott said.

Jennifer Bush

Jennifer Bush did not respond to questions about her campaign.