PEABODY, MA — The Peabody mayor’s annual salary will rise 3 percent — to $139,000 annually — following unanimous approval of the City Council.
The 3 percent increase comes a year after the mayor’s salary was raised 7.14 percent in 2023 to help bring it more in line with top executives in neighboring cities and towns on the North Shore.
The City Council is required, by statute, to review the mayor’s salary each year.
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City Councilor Thomas Gould noted that the mayor of Salem makes $150,000 each year, while the mayor of Lynn makes $145,000. The mayor’s position in Beverly is paid $119,000.
Area town administrators and managers, who traditionally make more money as they have less staff and are directly responsible for more duties, range from $162,000 in Swampscott to $220,000 in Danvers, according to Gould.
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“So you can see the variety,” Gould said. “Mayor (Ted) Bettencourt hasn’t taken a salary (increase) a couple of times in the 12 years that he’s been mayor but we’ve been trying to keep on track to fund that position and make it appropriate so that we’ll get good people who will run for office.”
The Committee of the Whole approved the raise 10-0 with one Councilor voting present. The City Council later voted to accept that recommendation by a 9-0 vote on Thursday night.
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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