Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Mascot topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Beverly City Council approves Order 156 designating Pepe the horse as Rialside mascot
Summary
At a May 19 special meeting, the Beverly City Council voted 8-0 to adopt Order 156, formally naming Pepe the horse the official mascot of the Rialside neighborhood after councilors described years of regular community visits and appearances.
The Beverly City Council voted 8-0 on Monday, May 19, 2025, to approve Order 156, a resolution designating Pepe, a horse known for regular Sunday visits to the Rialside neighborhood, as Rialside’s official mascot.
Councilor Rotondo presented the resolution at a special meeting called for 6:30 p.m. at City Hall and read its text into the record. The resolution recounts that Pepe first visited Rialside in February 2019 and that he and his owner, Kevin Hios, established a pattern of weekly Sunday visits beginning in March 2020 that councilors said brought “solace, smiles and a sense of normality” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rotondo said he and Councilor Flowers worked together on the measure.
The resolution lists community events where Pepe has appeared, including the Fourth of July parade and neighborhood gatherings at Overa Park and Livingstone Park, and notes interactions with the Beverly School for the Deaf. After the presentation, the council took a vote; the motion to approve Order 156 carried unanimously 8-0. The presiding official instructed the city clerk to spread a copy of the resolution on the city record.
Members of the public and the resolution’s supporters filled council chambers and applauded after the vote. Kevin Hios, Pepe’s owner, invited attendees to follow local updates on the Rialside neighborhood Facebook page and encouraged neighbors to come meet Pepe. “He’s over here. He’s over here. So come and join us,” Hios said after the vote.
Council members and staff also noted that Julie (no last name given) would present Kevin with cameras during the meeting. The council adjourned the special session immediately after the item, and attendees were given time to interact with Pepe and his owner on City Hall grounds.
Discussion versus formal action: the presentation and reading of the resolution constituted the public explanation and supportive remarks; the formal action was the recorded vote to adopt Order 156 and the clerical directive to file the resolution in the city record. No permits, funding, or regulatory changes were proposed or approved as part of the order.
