The number of city councilors who will not seek reelection is now three after Ward 2 City Councilor Pete McGinn recently announced he would be putting his name in for his seat this fall.
He made the announcement at the City Council meeting on March 27, where he spoke on his 12 years in the position, thanking his colleagues, the Ward 2 constituents, and his family.
“I’m really blessed to have served with a great group of past and current councilors over the years,” McGinn said. “I’d like to believe that through this collective public service, Peabody, and hopefully Ward 2, are better off for it.”
McGinn’s decision to not run for re-election was made between himself and his wife, Jeannette McGinn, telling The Daily Item there are “no particular set of reasons beyond what was good timing with my wife and I.”
“I’m very proud that I was able to perform some public service, and that’s really why I went into this,” McGinn said. “I enjoy the work and I enjoy dealing with the residents of Ward 2 and trying to assist where I can with constituent services and so forth.”
He also noted his appreciation for the comments of gratitude he received from his colleagues, who reflected on their time working with McGinn during his six terms on the City Council.
“Yours is going to be a huge void, and no one’s going to argue with me… You really keep things moving along,” City Councilor-At-Large Anne Manning-Martin said. “That is a void that we are going to have to fill, and the remaining councilors are going to have to pick up the slack in that area. I wish us all luck. You will be missed, and I thank you for all of your service.”
City Councilor-At-Large Jon Turco echoed this sentiment by remarking on McGinn’s diligence and the gap the council will need to fill after his departure.
“You taught me a lot about being diligent and thorough. Councilor Manning couldn’t have said it better: we do go through and say, ‘Pete will take care of that,’” Turco said. “It’s a huge loss through all three councilors. Thank you for everything you taught over the last decade. I appreciate it, and I wish you well.”
