Puppy treats, personal touch help Lozzi, Plunkett connect with Lynn voters

LYNN – Cannon Rock Road is a hilly street lined with homes near the Peabody line where residents Angelo Mariano and Gerry Clements know the names of the candidates running for the Ward 1 City Council seat.Mariano took a break from working in his garage last Wednesday to shake council candidate Debra Plunkett?s hand and listened as Plunkett promised – if elected – to monitor the housing subdivision under construction in Peabody just blocks from Mariano?s home.?We can make this an easier process for the neighbors,” she said.?You?ve got a good shot,” Mariano told her.Clements lives up the street from Mariano and he said Wayne Lozzi?s track record as Ward 1 councilor is strong enough to earn Clements? vote in the Nov. 5 final election.?We need someone who is going to take care of the ward. Wayne?s responsive and he takes action,” Clements said.Lozzi, a state environmental analyst and Den Quarry Road resident, has represented Ward 1 since 2004. Plunkett lives on Bow Ridge Road and works as an anti-bullying counselor.Lozzi won 54 percent of the Sept. 17 preliminary election vote to 46 percent for Plunkett – the closest finish in any of the five ward races featuring candidates on the preliminary ballot.With five, two-year council terms under his belt, Lozzi has personal connections in neighborhoods like Cannon Rock. He asked Cindy Willette about her mother?s health and called Al Malagrifa, who has lived on the street for 51 years, by his first name.Plunkett kept small packets of “puppies for Plunkett” dog treats at the ready as she made her way up Cannon Rock. Her father, Jim, assembles the treat packs and Plunkett leaves them on doorsteps even if no one is home.The Boulderwood subdivision lies over the hill from Cannon Rock Road, but most Cannon Rock residents can see the bare Peabody hillside where 112 homes will be built. Construction vehicle traffic rolls out of the construction site down Sunset Road and onto Cannon Rock.?I counted at least 20 trucks last week – I can feel my house shake,” Willette told Lozzi.Lozzi said he has received “dozens of complaints” about Boulderwood truck traffic, but developer David Solimine Jr. on Monday said truck complaints have been minimal and construction site drivers know to obey local traffic laws including speed limits.Lozzi acknowledged receiving campaign contributions from Solimine but told Cannon Rock resident John Heizer that Plunkett received a campaign donation from construction blaster Peter McNamara.?I wouldn?t take a red nickel from him,” Lozzi told Heizer.Plunkett, in an interview, confirmed getting a check from McNamara but said the check was one of more than 200 received by her council campaign during an April 10 campaign fundraising event.?I have no affiliation with anyone working at Boulderwood,” she said.Cannon Rock resident Joe Cole said he is concerned about proposed changes for Union Hospital announced two weeks ago by its owner, North Shore Medical Center.?I don?t want it to become a non-critical-care facility,” he told Plunkett.Plunkett?s successful treatment for breast cancer four years ago included appointments at Union Hospital. She called any moves to shift services from Union to Salem Hospital “wrong.”?It is,” agreed Cole.Lozzi told ward residents at an Oct. 15 council meeting that “going to Salem for core medical services is not a viable plan for Lynn residents.” Clements shares that viewpoint.?Hospital services are important to us,” he said.View Boulderwood development in a larger map