LYNN — The three candidates for mayor will face off next week in a debate to be held at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Lynn Classical High School auditorium.
City Council President Darren Cyr and School Committee members Jared Nicholson and Michael Satterwhite will discuss issues important to the city, including housing, education, public safety and infrastructure.
The event, sponsored by The Item and the Spanish-language newspaper La Voz (both published by Essex Media Group) and the Lynn Business Partnership, will be moderated by Item News Editor Gayla Cawley with an assist from Lynn Housing Finance Director Joseph Scanlon. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Tutwiler will act as host.
Each candidate will have three minutes to deliver an opening statement. There will then be 15 minutes spent on each topic, with five minutes for each candidate’s response and two minutes for rebuttal, if necessary, for an approximately 90-minute debate.
Cyr has served on the City Council for 16 years and has been its president for more than five. The Lynn native has cited building new schools as one of his major priorities if elected. He has also emphasized the need for development in the downtown, saying that it will bring in more money to improve the city.
Nicholson, who has a background in law and legal aid, also hopes to see new schools and expanded educational resources in Lynn’s public schools. He has spoken in support of the city’s Housing Plan, for which he served on the steering committee, and wants to offer more resources for small businesses.
Satterwhite, also an attorney, has spent the past seven years fighting on behalf of special education students in Lynn and the surrounding area. He has emphasized equity in resources and hiring, both in schools and throughout city government. Satterwhite is also in support of making more affordable housing available in Lynn.
Per city mandate, masks will be required for in-person audience members. The debate will also be recorded and televised at a later date by Lynn Community Television.
The preliminary election will be held on Sept. 14. The two candidates with the most votes will be on the ballot for the Nov. 2 city election.
