Candidates seek to gain momentum at Lynn forum

LYNN – Roughly 30 people gathered together for a voter’s forum for Councilor At-Large candidates at the Washington Street Baptist Church Thursday evening.Hot topics such as crime and rising unemployment in the city were discussed by each of the candidates, in an attempt to capture the attention of the audience and perhaps secure an extra vote in the upcoming Nov. 6 election.When asked what each of the candidates could do to boost the economy, incumbent councilor at-large Paul Crowley said he would like to expand the city’s tax base to allow for more jobs within the school and fire departments.Candidate Judith Flanagan Kennedy, said she would like to make sure the prevailing minimum wage law is enforced within the city, along with strengthening the partnership with the Economic Development & Industrial Corporation (EDIC).Incumbent City Council President Timothy Phelan stressed the need for the city’s waterfront to be developed, but stressed that it wouldn’t happen overnight.”There isn’t a magic trick to create jobs, but my philosophy is that it has to be done building by building and brick by brick,” he said.Candidate Stephen John Duffy said he felt confident that new jobs would be created in the near future through various measures, while candidate Gary Roach said the addition of large department stores such as Target and Best Buy would alleviate the city’s economic crisis.Candidate Daniel Cahill suggested expanding the commercial tax base rather than the residential base, in an effort to supply businesses with a break on property taxes and create new jobs.”We need to give people a sense of worth and create new jobs because there is a 6 percent unemployment rate right now,” he said. “It’s important to look at cities like Revere that are bringing in new businesses like BJ’s that create a lot of jobs.”Increased gang violence, drug usage and the need for after school programs were also discussed, with an overwhelming agreement from each of the candidates that a solution to the problems needs to be reached.Crowley suggested combating violence at the street level, and slowly increasing the city’s police budget by $110,000 for three consecutive years to fund extra officers.Roach, a social worker for troubled youth, said he would like to help underprivileged kids find a place in society.”I clearly understand their appetite (troubled youth) and I know that they are looking for someone to blame,” he said. “If we enhance social programs and increase crime watches, we can help them. We only lose power if we believe we don’t have any power.”Cahill said he would like to see increased communication between police officers and youth and bring back bike patrols in hot bed areas of the city.An increase in school monitoring and the addition of cultural centers would help curb violence and bridge gaps according to Duffy.”Is the problem getting better?” Duffy said. “No, it’s not. It’s a band-aid approach to a much larger problem. Letters need to be sent home to address parents to the situation and we need to find ways to have kids feel accepted in society.”Kennedy recommended keeping children busy after school to halt gang activity.”Idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” Kennedy said. “We need to learn about the problems taking place and help take control of them before they happen. One way to do that is to keep the student resource officer (SRO) program open.”Phelan stressed the need to educate youth and take a grass roots approach to halt gang violence through a community wide effort.Lynn resident Ben Runyon and Kurt Lange, pastor of East Coast International Church, organized the event.Rev. Eric Nelson of the Washington Street Baptist Church acted as moderator of the debate.A second debate will be held for School Committee candidates on Oct. 24 at the same church from 7-9 p.m.