METHUEN — Residents will have to wait until at least December to vote for a new mayor.
After the unexpected death of Neil Perry, 65, over the weekend, a City Council in mourning began planning for his successor Monday night.
It is unclear who will run for mayor but due to state law, the city will not be able to hold an election until 64 days after it is scheduled. Councilor D.J. Beauregard is the acting mayor.
Perry, serving his third term, died Saturday while surrounded by his family.
City officials choked back tears as they spoke Monday night during an emotional, 30-minute meeting attended by city department heads and other employees.
While councilors authorized the clerk’s office to begin planning, they will not vote to schedule the election until Oct. 7. The clerk’s office will have the complex task of planning a mayoral election while also preparing for the presidential election in November.
Beauregard will possess most of the authority traditionally held by the mayor but would not be able to permanently hire or fire staff, according to City Solicitor Ken Rossetti. The 64-day waiting period provides sufficient time for residents to be informed of the election and for candidates to prepare, he added.
Perry’s “strength of character” was an inspiration, Rossetti said.
Perry had been battling kidney disease and while not always able to physically attend meetings, he worked right up until his death. Beyond simply being colleagues, councilors and other officials described Perry as a friend, struggling at times Monday night to find the right words to say as they spoke about him.
Only a week ago, Perry attended the council’s meeting in person Sept. 16, showing no indication of failing health.
Perry began leading the city as mayor in January 2020. Last year, he won reelection with about 70% of the vote against challenger Matthew Wicks, a former Air Force officer and a machinist.
Each year, the council elects a member to serve as acting mayor in the event of a vacancy. Beauregard was elected to fill the role Jan. 4.
Beauregard is a councilor at large and has served the city since January 2020. He worked at Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School as the director of strategic initiatives. But at the council’s meeting Monday, Beauregard announced he had resigned from his full-time job.
The newly elected mayor would serve the remainder of Perry’s term, which ends Dec. 31, 2025.
During Perry’s administration, an embattled Methuen Police Department underwent significant reforms, previously vacant leadership positions in the city were filled, and significant development was achieved, including at The Loop, among other positive changes.
In only his first few months of office, Perry was tested with leading the city at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city is providing free, confidential counseling services in the wake of the mayor’s death.
Prior to running for mayor, Perry spent 38 years working at Raytheon. He previously worked as a bilingual educator for Methuen Public Schools
Perry’s funeral will be held Sept. 30. City Hall will be closed that day.
“He started it and we are going to finish it for him,”said Chief Administrative & Financial Officer Maggie Duprey.