This year’s inauguration marked an important milestone for the City of Peabody, as the City Council now has the most women it’s ever had, with five.
Those five are Ward 2 Councilor Wendy Lattof, Ward 3 Councilor Stephanie Peach, Ward 4 Councilor Julie Daigle, and Councilors-at-Large Jaclyn Corriveau and Anne Manning-Martin.
Manning-Martin reflected on being the sole woman on Council for 14 years before Peach and Daigle joined the ranks four years ago.
“You’d have to experience it yourself to be the only one of anything in a group that meets publicly and conducts public business in public. You’d have to experience it yourself to really understand that there is a difference from the outside looking in. Many people would think that maybe there isn’t. I think some of my colleagues over the years thought there was no difference at all, but they never really were in the seat to have that perspective, the seat of being the only one,” she said.
She added, “I’ve had senior, like been around for a long time, attorneys come and present and refer to all of us as gentlemen: ‘Thank you, gentlemen.’ You know, thanking gentlemen and not even recognizing that there were two genders up here, so that has happened, and that’s just one example.”
Overall, Manning-Martin said she thinks it’s “wonderful” that more women are running for office. She said the addition of Lattof and Corriveau is “definitely positive,” and she’s “happy to be part” of this moment in history.
“I encourage my colleagues, all of whom, the men and the women, I encourage all my colleagues to kind of recognize the significance and to be proud to be a part of it,” Manning-Martin said.
Corriveau noted that, when she was in college, she did a lot of research into the “imbalance of the gender equity across elected office and the value of having women involved in government.” She noted that it’s been “a real uphill battle to get women to run for office” over the last 20 years.
“They’re less likely to do it. They have to be encouraged more forcefully and frequently than men do, and so the fact that we have more women stepping up really tells me that we’re making an effort — because it wouldn’t happen without an effort,” Corriveau said. “Having both perspectives on the City Council, from both men and women, is super important. Men and women experience life differently, and have distinct challenges, so it’s really important to have both men and women serve in positions, especially elected positions.”
Lattof said she’s “really excited” to be part of this group and making history.
“A lot of those councilors, like Anne Manning, in particular, is someone who I’ve seen from when she used to be on School Committee, and I’ve watched her all these years be part of City Council, and she’s someone who I really admire and look up to, along with Julie and Stephanie, so to be part of that group, I’m really thrilled to be able to work with them and make an impact on the community,” Lattof said.
Lattof said she thinks women “need to continue to work together and build upon a positive example for younger people out there.”
“It’s really important to be a positive role model to people out there, especially young women, to let them know what’s possible, and if you care about your community, there’s always a way to make an impact,” Lattof said.
She thought back to an evening at One Main with Manning-Martin and Corriveau. There was a young girl “who walked up to Jaclyn and was like, ‘I know who you are. You’re Jaclyn Corriveau. I’ve seen all your flyers.’ And it was just adorable that this little girl kind of knew. That’s something you want to see.”
Corriveau said that moment is indicative of progress.
“I think this does feel like a pivotal moment for Peabody because I’ve heard the term ‘old boys club’ thrown around so many times in the past years where I’ve been involved and interacted with city government, and I think a lot of people feel that this is the turning point for that, and it’s going to change, and it’s going to be more inclusive, and I think her reaction absolutely captures how people are looking at us,” Corriveau said.
Peach noted that she didn’t run because she’s a woman, or hope to get votes because she’s a woman, but she does think it’s important to see representation in local government.
“I have two young daughters, and to see that mommy can do these things shows them that they can do it as well,” Peach said.
When thinking back to her days campaigning, Peach noted that she never felt that being a woman was a hindrance, but she did notice that she was asked questions about her family life that the men campaigning were not.
“Certainly, there are questions that arise that I’m sure male counselors don’t get as far as raising a family while you’re a city councilor. There are plenty of male councilors who have kids the same exact age as mine, but I’m sure nobody’s asking them because they just assume their wives are at home,” Peach said.
Daigle also said she felt that being a mother was “used against” her on the campaign trail.
“Most people are supportive, and I think if you’re a good person, and you’re doing the right thing, they encourage you. But there is a small percentage of criticism, mainly old school, that thinks that you can’t do this and be a mom or have a full-time job,” Daigle said. “I think we’ve done a lot of work — we being Councilor Peach and I — to dispel that and prove that, like, Councilor Peach was pregnant through her presidency and had a baby. She’s killed it the whole time. I have an autistic child, and it’s not a struggle, but it’s part of life, and it’s part of your inspiration to do that for the community.”
As she considered this step forward for the City, Peach said she thinks “age is more the story than gender.”
“We’re bringing the average age of the City Council down pretty significantly, and it so happens that this group of women, we’re the ones doing that,” Peach said. “Most of us are younger than our male counterparts.”
She added that it’s exciting to see the next generation get involved across various City boards and commissions.
“It’s wonderful to see people I went to high school with get involved in some way in city government because I guess it’s not typical for 30-something-year-olds to be this involved in city government, and I hope that we’re pushing toward that change right now,” Peach said.
Corriveau agreed that “you don’t expect to see a 35-year-old woman come and knock on your door running for City Council.”
“If you think of what a city councilor is, you kind of picture a guy, right? Because typically who runs for things historically has been men. So I think people were pleasantly surprised. Everyone was extremely welcoming to the point where I was surprised. I got almost no negative feedback (while) door knocking and from voters. It was really such a great experience, and it actually made me want to go door knocking,” she said.
Lattof said she thinks having more women on Council strengthens it.
“It brings a wider range of perspectives and life experiences into the discussions, and that will lead to more thoughtful decision-making and help with policies that reflect the community as a whole,” Lattof said.
She added that her takeaway from this historic moment is that “anything’s possible.”
“This was, for myself in particular, it wasn’t something I thought I’d ever do five or 10 years ago, and just seeing positive examples of people working together and making an impact in their community exists, so I’m hoping it will encourage more people, male or female or whomever, to jump in and toss their hats in the ring to make an impact because I think when more people jump in, and we have more life experience and more people with various backgrounds, it brings something to the table. And we should see more people want to be part of the community and decision-making and processes,” Lattof said.
