LYNN — With diverse experiences in the U.S. Army National Guard, early childhood education and small-business ownership, lifelong Lynn resident Nicole McClain is hoping to bring a fresh voice to the local government.
“I decided to run for councilor at large because of the racial unrest and COVID situation in 2020,” said McClain, who is the first-ever Black woman to run for a citywide City Council election in Lynn.
After having conversations with current local government officials, she realized that another voice of a person of color was needed on the City Council, said McClain.
McClain, who is turning 42 this weekend, was born in the Lynn Hospital and grew up with a single mother and three siblings in West Lynn at Marian Gardens. She said she and her siblings were latchkey kids who had to be responsible enough to come home from school.
She attended the cosmetology program at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute, becoming a hairdresser, and joined the Army National Guard during her junior year at 17 years old.
“I wanted to have something to be proud of. And I thought that this was a way for me to be able to travel and see the world and experience things,” said McClain. “I’m happy that I did it. I would definitely do it again.”
McClain completed two deployment tours to Iraq, in 2004 and 2008. While there, she saw and recognized different forms of leadership.
“The people that you are leading should be your first line of care and respect because they are the ones that are helping you get the job done,” said McClain. “So, you should really be taking care of the people that you are leading and making sure that they are benefiting from your leadership and that they are thriving under you rather than feeling resentful and feeling unseen.”
While in Iraq, McClain started an online bachelor’s program in childhood education at Ashford University that she finished after coming back home. She worked at the Bright Horizons in Cambridge for a while and then opened her own daycare, which she ran for six years out of her house. Now she is back at Bright Horizons as a health and safety director in Boston’s financial district.
McClain has founded and leads the North Shore Juneteenth Association, which holds events and partners with other organizations to expose communities north of Boston to Black-American culture to create change and dismantle racism.
The three pillars of McClain’s bid for office are accountability, transparency and inclusion.
“I have no issues with constructive criticism whatsoever. If I am doing something wrong, let me know and let’s try to fix it,” said McClain, who wants her constituents to ask questions and hold her accountable.
She is also advocating for sharing as much information with constituents about the events, decisions, processes and available resources as possible.
“Really making things known to the community and trying to find out answers to questions that anyone might have,” said McClain.
She also said that many residents don’t know about the opportunities and programs that are already in place for them locally.
“The reason I own my home is because of a local organization, Compass Working Capital,” said McClain. “They showed you how to save money and helped you to attain an asset. And I was able to buy a home because of that program.”
McClain thinks that the local government can make more informed decisions as well if it communicates more with local organizations that are speaking to residents every single day.
To make the diverse population of Lynn feel welcomed and accepted, McClain wants to, first of all, translate anything that is coming from the city government into multiple languages.
She wants the city’s website to be translated into different languages and streamlined as well so that people can actually find anything they need from the city clerk’s office or information on how to open a business.
“Then we can start reaching out a little more in different ways,” said McClain, who would like to work on diversity and inclusion with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer of the city Faustina Cuevas.
McClain would like to see more cultural representation among Lynn’s public school teachers and City Hall employees.
One of the main issues that McClain would like the City Council to work on in 2022 is development.
“I’m not against development, but I would like to advocate for development without displacement,” said McClain.
She said she would like to see Lynn move forward with deed-restricted housing, when the long-term affordability of units, priced below the market, for income-restricted residents is preserved through governmental or philanthropic subsidies, regulated construction of affordable units, or affordability incentive for developers.
McClain believes that besides the senior center, Lynn also needs a community center. She said that smaller communities like Marblehead and Swampscott have such centers where youth are being exposed to enrichment activities. They have somewhere to go after school where they don’t have to worry about filling out an application and paying for services.
When asked about what qualities she can bring to the table as a city councilor at large, McClain said she is a great collaborator, a good listener and an extremely patient person.
“Whether you like me or you don’t like me is not a problem. I will work with you. We will come to an agreement somehow and we will move forward for progress,” said McClain. “I will sit back and let you talk and we will come together to create a solution.”
“I am very committed to being a great city councilor,” said McClain. “I will be accessible. I’ll be responsive and I’ll advocate for what’s best for our community every time.”
McClain lives in East Lynn with her husband and 22-year-old son.
More information about Nicole McClain can be found on nicoleforlynn.com, Facebook and Instagram.
Alena Kuzub can be reached at [email protected].
