PEABODY — Voters in this city will pick their next mayor less than a year from now.
Given the long and relentless election cycle that just ended, they may not yet be ready to consider their possible choices. Politics, however, is not a static business. The focus is always on tomorrow.
In Peabody, the mayor's race hinges largely on what the current occupant of the corner office decides. If Mayor Michael Bonfanti chooses to run again, it would be a formidable challenge to unseat him.
The Tanner City loves its incumbents. It has been nearly 60 years since a sitting executive lost an election. The last time it happened was 1951, when Philip O'Donnell edged out Leo McGrath.
Bonfanti has a year left in his fifth term. He does not know yet if he wants a sixth.
"I haven't made a decision," he said.
With the pressure the struggling economy has placed on the city's budget, Bonfanti, 65, said he has "too much on his plate" at the moment to contemplate his political future. He intends to disclose his plans early in the new year.
"When it's time to be clear," he said. "I'll be clear about it."
At the top of the list of potential candidates is Councilor-at-large Ted Bettencourt.
He was a basketball star at Peabody High School, who graduated from Holy Cross, earned a law degree and returned home. His office is in downtown Peabody.
Bettencourt has won four terms on the council.
"I have made no secret of the fact that I would like to be mayor of Peabody," he said yesterday. But Bettencourt would not say if that meant he would be a candidate in 2011. He said only that he is considering a run and would make his plans known sometime "in the future."
Bettencourt, 37, would not speculate about what bearing Bonfanti's decision would have on his own plans.
If Bonfanti doesn't run, Bettencourt would be the front-runner, said Mike Schulze, former chairman of Peabody's Democratic City Committee and a longtime participant in and observer of Peabody politics
"People know who he is and they like what he does," said Schulze, who also pointed out that Bettencourt consistently tops the ticket for city councilor.
"That's always a telling sign," he said.
If Bettencourt were to go against Bonfanti, Schulze, a Bonfanti supporter, said the race would be comparable to 2005, the last time the mayor was seriously challenged. Bonfanti defeated John Slattery, a former state representative and candidate for lieutenant governor, by 11 percentage points.
Council President Dave Gravel is another name always mentioned as a mayoral contender. He hasn't made up his mind either.
"I'm not actively thinking about it right now," Gravel said. "I'm focused on being a good councilor."
He is shepherding the council through the tedious process of rezoning the city. It has taken almost a year, and there is more work to do.
Gravel, who runs his own downtown-based technology consulting firm, said he would have to confer with his family before entering the race.
"There's a lot to consider before I'd make that choice," he said.
Councilor-at-large Anne Manning-Martin is not running, at least not next year.
"It's not something that I'm ruling out in the future, but it's not in my immediate plans," she said. "I enjoy the work I'm doing on the council."
Another possible candidate is Sean Fitzgerald, Bonfanti's former chief of staff who left in 2008 to become town manager in Plaistow, N.H. Fitzgerald has never been shy about acknowledging that he aspires to one day serve Peabody, his hometown, in an elected office. Given his ties to the mayor, however, it is unlikely Fitzgerald would run if Bonfanti does.
In Beverly, the picture is much clearer. Former City Councilor Tim Flaherty announced he will run for mayor in 2011. Mayor Bill Scanlon confirmed that he will be running, too.
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