Mayor Ted Bettencourt, the City Council, members of the School Committee, and other recently elected officials were formally sworn into office last Tuesday, assuming their posts in front of a packed Wiggin Auditorium that included numerous other local and state officials.
Bettencourt was flanked by his parents as Gov. Maura Healey administered the oath of office, a round of applause filling the auditorium as he said the final words, assuming the city’s chief position for a seventh term and beginning his 13th year. City Clerk Allyson Danforth administered the oaths to councilors, as well as members of the School Committee, Municipal Light Commission, and Board of Library Trustees who won seats during the city’s November election.
Councilors voted unanimously to appoint Ward 3 Councilor Stephanie Peach as their new president, replacing outgoing president Ward 1 Councilor Craig Welton, who served in 2023. The council elects a new president each year.
Both Peach and Welton offered brief remarks before councilors adjourned. The School Committee then convened to elect its vice chair and secretary for 2024. Committee members voted unanimously to appoint Jon Swanson as their vice chair and Brandi Carpenter as the secretary.
After both boards adjourned their meetings, Healey delivered brief remarks, congratulating the elected officials sworn in and thanking them for volunteering their time to serve their communities. And, Healey said, “The future of Peabody is the future of Massachusetts.”
“I know that Peabody is a place where people work hard, where they look after one another, they take care of one another. Things have evolved over time in this community, and that’s why local government is so important because you were the ones who helped make that happen and helped move things forward.”
Healey also had high praise for Bettencourt.
“He was rightly rewarded with this victory,” she said. “The best thing that can be said about him is to point to all of what he’s already delivered on here in Peabody.”
“The success of this commonwealth, I can assure you, is going to depend on how much we are able to support and partner with communities like Peabody,” Healey added. “That’s going to be the test, and that’s something we’re really committed to.”
Healey then ceded the podium to Bettencourt, who delivered his inaugural address, highlighting achievements and future goals in public safety, infrastructure, economic development, education, quality of life, and finance. He also addressed the work underway on Vision 2035, a new master plan for the city.
On public safety, Bettencourt reflected on the losses that have bookended his tenure as mayor to date — the line-of-duty death of Firefighter Jim Rice in December 2011 and the passing of Officer Henry Breckenridge due to complications from a non-emergency surgery this summer. In 2019, the city honored Rice’s memory by dedicating the James M. Rice fields at the Higgins Middle School in his honor, and this fall, the city dedicated the new West Elementary School playground to Breckenridge.
“Our community has demonstrated our love and support for those who are sworn to serve, protect, and sacrifice,” Bettencourt said.
The portion of Bettencourt’s speech dedicated to infrastructure focused primarily on the investment in and improvements made to downtown Peabody to encourage economic growth in the area. He noted the millions in state grants the city poured into the area and highlighted the steps taken to reduce flooding in downtown by building the Scouting Way Retention Basin.
“Over a decade later, the revitalization of downtown Peabody continues strong with the opening of new shops, restaurants, a Black Box Theater, the North Shore Children’s Museum, and The Bell Inn & Tavern,” he said, adding that construction was underway on a new Brodie’s Pub and a new restaurant at the former site of the Century Bank. “Downtown Peabody has come a long way in the past decade, and there is still a lot of work ahead of us.”
Bettencourt also noted the completion of the clean and sustainable water infrastructure project, ensuring that the city would control its water supply and set its own rates for future generations. In 2023, the city used a $600,000 grant to replace Endicott Street, and the city is set to begin a complete rebuild of the Central Street corridor this year, funded by $20 million in state and federal funds.
“Rebuilding, repairing, and preserving Peabody’s physical infrastructure will continue to be among my top priorities as mayor,” he said.
Bettencourt also noted the city’s continued investment in overhauling its school infrastructure, partnering with the Massachusetts School Building Authority to renovate and rebuild the Higgins Middle School and Welch Elementary School. And, just last month, the city was invited to the authority’s funding program to aid in the construction of a new Peabody Veterans Memorial High School.
Addressing quality of life, Bettencourt also touted the creation of a new Social Services division in 2023 to address the impacts of the opioid epidemic on the city head-on. And, he touted the two open space purchases the city made last year, pouring $16 million into the acquisition of more than 200 acres, including more than 130 acres acquired from Rousselot, which shut down its operations in the city last year.
Bettencourt said the city will use a $10 million state grant to extend the Peabody Independence Greenway, including a two-span steel pedestrian bridge across Route 1, connecting the trail that begins at Russell Street near Boston Street and ends at Lt. Ross Park with the extension of the trail beginning at Clark Road and extending to the area near the Lahey Clinic. The second trail will extend the bike path from its end near the Lahey Clinic to the new Endicott Street bridge, bringing the entire path to 10 miles in length.
Referencing a presentation delivered to the City Council last month, Bettencourt said the city’s economy has “continued to surpass expectations,” noting that the average residential home value has risen 10%. And, he said, the city was addressing its future with Vision 2035, where a plan would be developed with the input of residents and business owners.
Before his speech concluded, Bettencourt offered a moment of personal reflection.
“Being mayor… has been a great joy of my life, a highlight of my working life, and something that I always treasure,” he said. “Working together, we have improved our city and made Peabody a more desirable place to live, work, and raise a family. I look forward to continuing that work and to a very bright future in Peabody.”
