Patrick to host town meeting Monday in Lynn

LYNN – Gov. Deval Patrick will host a town hall meeting on the Lynn Commons Monday night where he will field questions from the public and discuss how his efforts at the state level are working to help communities like Lynn.The governor’s appearance is one of 15 that he will make in individual cities and towns this summer, part of an overall effort to make state government accessible for all people in the Commonwealth. The town hall-style meetings give residents a chance to talk directly to Patrick about issues they care about most, including the economy, the state’s budget challenges and the Governor’s efforts to push for reforms on Beacon Hill.”As we work to overcome the challenges of today, it is important that the citizens of the Commonwealth are involved in the process,” said Governor Patrick. “I look forward to this opportunity to learn how state government can better serve its people.”The meeting comes just days after the City Council and School Committee passed the city’s fiscal year 2010 budget, which contained cuts to nearly every city department – including the schools – where more than 100 employees were laid off and, for the second straight year, the department was forced to close a school.Much of the trouble at the local level has come from Patrick’s cuts to local aid and a move to use stimulus money originally intended for individual cities and towns to help make the final Chapter 70 local aid payments in fiscal year 2009.The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Lynn Common Bandstand. If weather becomes a problem, Patrick will move the meeting to the Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium in City Hall.The meeting is free and open to the public.