With the Nov. 2 Lynn municipal final election four weeks away, we encourage mayoral candidates Darren Cyr and Jared Nicholson to think out of the box and share with voters their big ideas for the city.
This week is the perfect time for the mayoral candidates to think big about Lynn with Tuesday’s online public hearing focused on creating a waterfront park. Cyr and Nicholson have plenty of opinions on important city concerns ranging from schools to development to public safety to improving the way city services are delivered.
But rolling out a big vision for the city is a time-honored way for someone seeking elected office to demonstrate their passion and commitment to Lynn.
It was former Mayor Thomas P. Costin Jr. who declared in his 1959 election victory speech, “I shall not be satisfied until we have rebuilt Lynn.”
Cyr and Nicholson don’t have to go to that extreme. But they shouldn’t forget that voters need to be inspired as well as informed. They might take a tip in the inspiration department from the late Patrick J. McManus, whose mayoral big visions included bringing the New England Patriots to a Lynn waterfront stadium. The attention drew Walmart to the Lynnway.
Former Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy talked about creating a waterfront theater and the late Edward J. “Chip” Clancy Jr. put a big idea into action as mayor when he freed the city from the expensive burden of running two public-health facilities.
Clancy’s decision to close the Public Medical Institution on Holyoke Street and the Lynn Convalescent Home demonstrated the risk mayors take when they seize hold of a big idea even when it isn’t popular.
A big idea doesn’t always have to be practical or even doable (bringing the Pats to Lynn). Big ideas show that mayors can demonstrate the courage of their convictions. Big ideas illuminate a desire by the city’s leader to invite residents to embrace and roll up their sleeves for a project that benefits the entire city. Big ideas are proof that elected officials are willing to fall flat in the court of public opinion when their reach exceeds their grasp.
Being mayor is a big job, and now is the time for Cyr and Nicholson to roll out ideas that show they can think big and listen to the critics, hear out the naysayers, and demonstrate flexibility ― not rigidity ― in their thinking.
Voters don’t want to elect someone to be mayor who can just balance a budget, or fix potholes, and police local streets; they want a mayor who can look to the horizon and see a vision of a greater Lynn.
