Mayoral address welcomes Council

LYNN – Standing united, newly elected City Councilors Daniel Cahill and Judith Flanagan-Kennedy were officially sworn in to begin serving their terms Monday evening at City Hall.Incumbent officials Ward 1 councilor Wayne Lozzi; Ward 2 councilor William Trahant; Ward 3 councilor Darren Cyr; Ward 4 councilor Richard Colucci; Ward 5 councilor Paula Mackin; Ward 6 councilor Peter Capano; Ward 7 councilor Richard Ford; Councilor At-Large Paul Crowley and City Council President Tim Phelan also renewed their oaths.Aside from new and fresh perspectives on the council, change is also in the air for the city of Lynn according to Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr., who delivered his midterm mayoral address at the inauguration and focused on positive advances that have been accomplished.”All progress is initiated by challenge and real progress comes at a price,” he said. “We have been willing to pay the price and we have realized progress thanks to the cooperation of elected officials.”Clancy said because city officials have been able to check their egos at the front door, the city has benefited from a revival of sorts.The creation of the Waterfront Master Plan, revitalization of Central Square and the downtown district, and improvements at city schools have resulted in a metamorphosis for the urban environment.”The city is poised to transform from a caterpillar to a butterfly thanks to our economic leaders,” he said. “We are investing in existing infrastructure and we have made remarkable strides that have not gone unnoticed.”While Clancy admitted that he doesn’t have a proverbial crystal ball to gaze through and envision the future, he said that he strongly believes that more positive changes are on the way.However, one of the changes that Clancy has fully supported and the public has protested – the Licensing Board’s decision to rollback bar hours from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m. – is an initiative he continues to support.”While my request has not been popular with everyone, I sincerely believe that it’s the right thing to do and is in the best interest of the 89,000 people in the city,” he said.Addressing fiscal setbacks, Clancy said the city has all but walked into a financial crisis of fixed costs that are squeezing the city’s wallet.”The financial crisis that we face is one that fiscal prudence and spending alone cannot solve,” he said. “If this city was a business, the solution would be to cut, cut, cut. But we are not going to do that.”City Council President Tim Phelan stressed that a city divided does not stand and that the backbone of a community is families who make the city their home for generations.”We as elected officials represent all of the people in the city and must also make good changes,” he said. “We have an intelligent and energetic City Council and School Committee who have chosen unity over division.”Phelan said he anticipates that both City Councilors and School Committee members will strive to achieve positive advances in the city.”However, we can’t rest on our partial success of the downtown and we can’t use the down housing economy as an excuse for no further development,” he said. “Lynn is at a critical crossroads in its history and we can’t rest on our laurels now.”