Peabody Council Votes 10-1 to Advance Responsible Employer Ordinance for Public Works Contracts

PEABODY — October 12, 2023 — Peabody City Council voted 10 to 1 Thursday to advertise a Responsible Employer Ordinance requiring contractors on public projects of $250,000 or more to participate in certified apprenticeship programs. Councilor Vincent Turco, who co-sponsored the ordinance with Councilor Joseph Gamache, called it a safeguard against wage theft on city-funded construction, citing similar measures in Worcester, Medford, and Springfield. City Purchasing Agent Daniel Doucette, appearing for the first time on the matter, warned that the apprenticeship requirement could shrink the bidder pool and raise costs, noting that only nine of 350 Massachusetts cities and towns have comparable ordinances. State Representatives Christine Kearns and Thomas Walsh appeared in support. The lone dissenting vote was Councilor Thomas O'Neill, who said he would have preferred more time to review Doucette's objections. In other action, the council voted 10 to 1 — with Councilor Robert Melville recused as Deputy Director of the state Alcohol Beverage Control Commission — to approve a beer-and-wine special permit for E-Market at 598 Lowell Street, owned by Nermeen and Sammy Shikhar, who had previously served a 30-day Board of Health suspension and paid a $6,100 fine for non-compliant vape products; more than a dozen neighbors testified in their support.