Incumbent, council president face off in Peabody

Kevin Burke and incumbent mayor Catherine Weems both have filed for election as Peabody mayor.

Kevin Burke

Burke promises to bring transparency and openness to the office of the mayor.

A lifelong resident of Peabody, he has been on the city council two years. The knowledge he gained as a councilman will help him know how the city can improve, he says.

“I feel like the city council needs to be more transparent with the public, and over the last couple of years serving on the council, there have been times I felt like the council was manipulated to go a certain way,” Burke said. “I found out later it was a manipulation tactic. The council needs to be properly informed by the mayor about the issues the city’s faced with.”

He wants to bring the council together as a working body for the whole community and address issues that are most important to everyone.

The issues that need addressing include streets, water, sewer, housing, and cleanliness of the community, he said.

“I just want the council to work together as a whole,” he said.

Catherine Weems

Weems said she and the council had been careful to evaluate needs of the city vs. simply filling positions that have been vacated.

The city needs clear processes and procedures for all city operations, Weems said.

“The skills and expertise I have earned through my career working for a municipality as well as my business experience have provided me a solid foundation,” Weems said.