Peabody City Council Regular Meeting – January 8, 2026

The Peabody City Council held its regular meeting on Thursday, January 8, 2026, in person at City Hall and remotely via Zoom, with President Michael Higgins (Ward 6) presiding and all 11 councilors present. The council approved an online-only fortune teller’s license, continued one hearing to January 22, 2026, processed routine license renewals and appointments, referred several matters for further review, and debated but rejected a motion to reopen all City Hall entrances to pre-pandemic access. No agenda or minutes were available; this summary is based on the meeting transcript.

Public Hearing — Fortune Teller’s License

• Applicant Mary Bellastracy, 1 Southwick Road, Peabody, requested a fortune teller’s license for an online-only business under MGL Chapter 140, Section 1851, and Section 16-20.75 of the Peabody City Code. She described it as a spiritual self-help website with free content, paid one-on-one spiritual mentoring, and a link to her book, based on what she called her 2020 spiritual awakening.
• No members of the audience or Zoom participants spoke in favor of or in opposition to the application.
• Councilor Daigle spoke in support, calling the application thorough and noting the applicant keeps an eye on the neighborhood; he saw no traffic impact. Councilor Welton confirmed all services would be provided online/remotely.
• The council closed the public hearing and approved the license by an 11–0 roll call vote.

Continued Hearing

• Item 4C’s petitioner was not present and had not contacted the council. Councilor Gamash moved to continue the hearing to the council’s January 22, 2026 meeting; the motion carried 11–0.

Consent Calendar / Routine Approvals

• Appointments to the Community Development Authority: Gary Boer, 36 Emily Lane, and Brian Benagro, 3 Mulberry Drive, each for one-year terms expiring December 31, 2026; approved 11–0.
• Class 2 Motor Vehicle License 2026 renewals for Ad Pro Motorsports, Alex Auto Sales, King Motors, and Wilson Square Garage; approved.
• Late Item 2, as amended: approved the entertainment license renewal for “Suit Sharing’s,” 373 Lowell Street, while items A and C for Tri-City Services were held at Councilor Peach’s request because of issues with parking on public streets.
• Entertainment license renewal for The Roadhouse Pub, 55 Pulaski Street; approved.
• General license 2026 taxi renewals for Salem Taxi Company and Witch City Taxi; approved.
• Late Item 1 was received and referred to the Public Safety Committee.
• Committee appointments: Councilor Turko and Councilor Rosignal as primaries, and Councilor Wendy Latoff and Councilor Peach as alternates, on the Community Preservation Commission; Councilor Welton was appointed to the vacant Disabilities Commission seat.

Discussion Items

• Communication 8A: The council received a letter from Audrey Gordon and Rich Reid concerning 194 Newbury Street, also known as 190 Rear Newbury Street. The letter stated that a permit granted by the council in 2023 was for condominiums, but the property is now being marketed as apartments, and the writers oppose apartments. Council referred the communication to the Legal Affairs Committee for the next meeting and also asked that correspondence be sent to Attorney Conn for his opinion on whether a show-cause hearing is appropriate; the motion carried 11–0.
• PILOT agreements: Councilor Manning Martin moved to request all payment-in-lieu-of-tax agreements from the mayor or auditor to help council prepare for budget discussions; approved.
• Special permit: The council received Item 8E and scheduled a public hearing for a special permit for 101 Lynn Street; approved.
• Abandoned billboards: Councilor Rosignal moved to have Attorney Conn and Kurt Bellavance from Community Development update language on penalties, procedures, fines, and fee structures for abandoned and updated billboards; approved.
• Commercial vehicle parking: Councilor Peach moved to refer discussion of Peabody’s commercial-vehicle parking ordinance to the Legal Affairs Committee, with Captain Richards or a traffic division representative invited to discuss possible amendments and enforcement; approved. Peach noted increased problems in Ward 3, partly because Danvers and Salem ban commercial vehicles on streets.
• Senior center expansion: Councilor Peach noted a letter from Representative Walsh regarding a long-standing approved bond for the senior center expansion and said he would share more information with the council.

City Hall Entrances Debate

• Councilor Corvo moved that City Hall entrances be returned to their pre-pandemic configuration, including the front, back, and two side doors, with the request that the mayor make the change effective immediately.
• Several councilors expressed caution. Councilor Gamash said the mayor should have an opportunity to respond and requested a roll call. Councilor Rosignal agreed, saying the council should not act unilaterally without discussing safety implications with the mayor. Councilor Manning Martin replied that the mayor still has time to accept, reject, or veto a council motion. Councilor Turko recalled the restriction was imposed for COVID-related public-health reasons, not public safety. Councilor Welton said he favored the idea but preferred to hear from the mayor or security about upkeep and unintended issues.
• Councilor Gamash also asked for information about people barred from entering City Hall or the mayor’s office because of threats, including the number of instances, not names. Councilor Corvo asked how such cases were handled pre-2020; Gamash said he did not know but that the mayor’s office has distributed photos of barred individuals since the one-door policy took effect.
• A motion to move the question carried 8–3. The main motion then failed 7–4 on a roll call vote, with Councilors Turko, Manning Martin, Ladoff, and Corvo voting yes.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the online-only fortune teller’s license for Mary Bellastracy (11–0).
• Continued item 4C to January 22, 2026 (11–0).
• Referred Communication 8A to Legal Affairs and requested Attorney Conn’s review (11–0).
• Approved Community Development Authority appointments (11–0).
• Rejected the motion to reopen all pre-pandemic City Hall entrances (7–4).
• Made committee appointments and referred billboard-language and commercial-vehicle-parking matters for further review.