LYNN — The city has rounded out its temporary planning department by hiring an assistant planner.
Lauren Drago, who worked as an urban revitalization planning specialist for the city of Somerville, will join Aaron Clausen, who became the city’s first planner in more than two decades when he was hired last March.
Drago, who is scheduled to start work on Monday, will make a salary of $90,000 for each of the next three years. Her appointment, recommended by Mayor Thomas M. McGee, will be voted on by the City Council next Tuesday.
“We’re excited to have her come on,” said McGee. “She brings some great experience in a number of communities and areas.”
Drago was selected from the 16 applicants who applied for the full-time contracted position. She was hired following multiple rounds of interviews, said McGee, who cited her passion and five years of urban planning experience as what set her apart from the other candidates.
Prior to her position in Somerville, which she held for more than three years, Drago worked for the economic development division in Cambridge. Much of her past experience is relevant to what she will be expected to work on in Lynn, said McGee, citing her involvement in developing Somerville’s master plan and implementing several neighborhood plans.
McGee said that kind of work will transfer well to Lynn, where Drago will join Clausen in developing and implementing several plans for the city’s waterfront and downtown development.
“It’s going to be good to have her skills and supplement the work Aaron is doing and build a team,” said McGee. “We’ll look forward to her working closely with city officials, the council and being a conduit to the community.”
Drago earned a degree in American Studies in English from Williams College and went on to earn her Master’s degree in Urban Environmental Planning and Policy at Tufts University, according to McGee.
The two planning positions are being funded with $675,000 worth of gifts from the Economic Development & Industrial Corporation of Lynn (EDIC/Lynn), the city’s development bank; MassDevelopment, Eastern Bank Foundation, Gerondelis Foundation, and the Barr Foundation.
McGee said the city will be looking at the budget over the next year to identify ways to fund a more permanent planning department.
“It’s definitely part of the longer range proposal,” said McGee. “The first phase was getting in a planning team on a contract basis for three years and (then figure out) how to incorporate it long-term into the city structure.”
