Peter Meaney, a Lynn dentist and city councilor, is the Democratic nominee challenging Republican Rep. Donald Wong for the 9th Essex District seat on November 3. The Boston Herald reported that police records describe two OUI arrests involving Meaney, in Salem in 2018 and Peabody in 2019. The arrest information below is based on the Herald’s account of those records, not an independent review of them.
The 2018 Salem arrest
The Herald reported that Salem officers responded in September 2018 to a crash on Boston Street involving Meaney’s Kia Soul, which had struck a house and become embedded in its foundation. According to the account, Officer Kristina Monk described Meaney as appearing intoxicated and unable to answer basic questions about the crash or possible injuries. The report also described an odor of alcohol and slurred speech during questioning and an EMS evaluation. Officers found a double-edged knife, the Herald reported. Meaney was arrested on charges including OUI liquor, resisting arrest, carrying a dangerous weapon and a marked-lanes violation.
The Herald’s account says Meaney used derogatory language toward Monk and resisted officers’ efforts to handcuff him before multiple officers subdued him. It also reports that, during booking, he made a remark expressing a wish that Monk were male. These are descriptions attributed to the police report by the Herald.
The 2019 Peabody arrest and Meaney’s response
In October 2019, Massachusetts State Police Trooper Ronald Baker reported seeing Meaney run a red light in Peabody on Halloween night, according to the Herald’s account of the report. Baker described Meaney as noticeably intoxicated and said he smelled alcohol; the report says Meaney denied drinking and refused a breathalyzer test. The Herald reported that Meaney was arrested on OUI charges and that it was unclear what criminal penalties, if any, followed.
In a response to the Herald, Meaney said he took responsibility for words and actions that did not show the respect public servants deserve. That response, like the arrest details, is being recounted from the Herald’s reporting.
The November contest
Meaney has served as a Ward 1 member of the Lynn City Council since 2022 and owns Broadway Family Dental, according to Patch’s candidate profile. Patch describes his campaign priorities as affordability, education, clean energy and labor. Meaney defeated Zosia VanMeter in the Democratic primary; the Herald and other accounts cited different vote totals, so no vote share is included here. Wong, who has held the seat since 2011, is seeking a ninth two-year term, according to Advocate News.
