Julie Daigle Running For Ward 4 Peabody City Council Seat

The following is a declaration of candidacy from Peabody City Council candidate Julie Daigle to Patch:

PEABODY, MA — Former Peabody City Treasurer Julie Daigle is running for Ward 4 City Council.

A lifelong Peabody resident, Daigle is a graduate of Peabody Veterans Memorial High School and Merrimack College, where she earned a degree in Business Administration and Accounting. She worked in the administrations of three Peabody mayors during a 20-year career in public service.

She is currently the general manager of Mills 58.

"I am running for City Council to help improve the quality of life of the residents of Ward 4," Daigle said in a statement to Patch. "I believe my experience in city government and in the private sector will help make me an effective city councilor and a strong voice for the ward."

Daigle began her career as an intern in the office of former Mayor Peter Torigian. After college, she accepted a full-time position as senior treasury clerk under former Mayor Mike Bonfanti. She was later promoted to grants manager in the Department of Planning and Community Development.

In 2014, Mayor Ted Bettencourt appointed Daigle the city's first business liaison. In that role, she worked to attract new businesses to Peabody and led efforts to expand the city's tax base.

In 2017, Mayor Bettencourt appointed Daigle as city treasurer where she oversaw receipt and disbursement of a $180 million annual operating budget.

As treasurer, she also managed nearly $40 million in investments from trusts, scholarships and other sources. She resigned as treasurer in 2019 to accept a position as executive director of the
Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce.

"Even after leaving City Hall, I still found myself watching City Council and School Committee meetings and keeping up with the other boards and commissions," Daigle said. "I like to keep track of the issues which affect our community and I believe in public service."

Daigle has served as a member of the Peabody Main Streets Board of Directors, the Torigian Family YMCA Advisory Board, the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Friends of the Black Box Theater, Peabody Cultural Collaborative, among others.

As executive director of the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce, Daigle helped dozens of local businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. She also stabilized the Chamber’s finances by recruiting new members and aggressively pursuing city, state and federal grants.

Daigle left the Chamber last November to become General Manager at Mills 58 onPulaski Street. The historic mill building is home to a brewery, fitness studios, antique shops, shared workspace, and the Eatery 58 Marketplace, among other 75-plus small businesses.

"The Mills 58 has breathed new life into a historic section of Peabody," Daigle said. "There are so many different types of businesses here and each one of them has something unique to offer."

Daigle said she will prioritize listening to Ward 4 residents to get a feel for their concerns. Although COVID-19 presents certain obstacles to face-to-face campaigning, Daigle says she will adapt and do what is necessary.

"Campaigns are about meeting people and listening to people," Daigle said. "My preference is always to shake hands and introduce myself in person but right now we need to look out for one another and help keep our community safe."

(Declarations of candidacy for the citywide election can be sent to Scott Souza at scott.souza@patch.com.)