PEABODY — The City of Peabody kicked off the new year the same way it has for decades – with the annual Mid-Term Inaugural ceremony at City Hall’s Frank L. Wiggin Auditorium Monday.
This year, however, the event was far from traditional due to a little thing called COVID-19.
The event – limited to city council members (some of whom participated remotely) and a handful of city officials – was televised live on Peabody Access TV and also available via Zoom.
Ward 6 Councilor Mark J. O’Neill was elected president of the City Council. He gave a shout out to outgoing President Tom Rossignoll.
“I’m proud, not only of the City Council as a body but of the way Tom didn’t skip a beat, which allowed us to continue to do our jobs,” said O’Neill, who was elected to the council in 2017. “Without a doubt, I have huge, huge shoes to fill.
“Although this ceremony will be very different from past years and lacking its traditional pomp and pageantry, this smaller yet important ceremony is further evidence of your City leaders continuing their work for Peabody’s residents.”
O’Neill urged council members to “keep an open mind when listening to residents and each other; share your opinions and debate with passion but with mutual respect for everyone.”
In lieu of his annual state-of-the-city address, Mayor Ted Bettencourt’s remarks focused on handing out accolades to city employees, including school department staff (referring to custodians and cafeteria staff as “unsung heroes”); health care workers nurses and public health and safety specialists for “keeping the city as safe as possible,” and all city departments for service above and beyond. He singled out several people, referring to Health Director Sharon Cameron and Peabody Nurse Leader Brenda Wolff as “rock stars.”
“Certainly this is not a typical year,” Bettencourt said. “This is an opportunity to give an update on the successes and challenges we faced this year and goals for the next. It’s a time of celebration and an opportunity to be upbeat about the future, but I didn’t feel the typical approach was appropriate. The focus needs to remain on COVID. I wanted to show our appreciation for some of the people who have really stepped up to meet these challenging times.”
Bettencourt, who participated from home, was on his first day back on the job after testing positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 15. He thanked city residents for their many kind words while he was in quarantine, stating he was doing well and was happy to be back at work.
Bettencourt said he plans to deliver a state-of-the city address sometime in March or April “when we are in a better place, hopefully.”
Prior to the meeting, Rossignoll expressed his gratitude to fellow councilors who came together to keep the city going in the face of the pandemic.
“I’d like to thank the councilors who were flexible and amenable to changing the way we conducted business,” Rossignoll said prior to the meeting. “I commend them for knowing we had to do all we could to help keep businesses afloat by cutting the red tape on things like outside dining. We were constantly adapting on the fly as this was something we had never seen before.”
Rossignoll said he has confidence that O’Neill has the right stuff to carry the council forward in 2021.
“He is somebody that works well with everyone and I think he is going to do a fantastic job in 2021,” said Rossignoll. “I’ve known him and his wife Tracy and their family for years and know that he is an amazing person, a great family man, and a great councilor. He has a great vision for the city and I know that he is going to be great for the city going forward.”
The only other piece of business transacted at the meeting was initiated by Councilor Tom Gould, who moved that a letter of congratulations be sent to retiring State Representative Ted Speliotis in recognition of his 40 years of service. The motion carried unanimously.
Reverend John E. MacInnis, Pastor at St. John the Baptist Parish and St. Thomas the Apostle Parish gave the invocation. In lieu of a live performance, a pre-recorded Star-Spangled Banner was played. It was performed by the Peabody High Full House A Cappella under the direction of Jon Simmons.
In his closing remarks, Bettencourt said he was confident that there will be a “greater future and better tomorrow for our city,” and that 2021 would be “better, brighter, and happier.”