LYNN ― Lifelong resident and incumbent City Councilor Rick Starbard is running for reelection after claiming the seat for Ward 2 four years ago.
During his time on the council, Starbard has implemented a monthly newsletter for Ward 2 residents, which he releases on his website rickforlynn.com.
Through this newsletter, which Starbard said is the only one of its kind in the city, he updates residents on things going on in the ward and the city, including snow emergencies, trash delays, meeting reminders, road work, water breaks, and criminal activity.
During the past four years, he also worked to establish regular Ward 2 community meetings wherein participants discuss issues important to residents and hear from various department heads and public-safety chiefs.
As a resident of Lynn for 58 years, Strarbard said one of the favorite things about his ward is the people.
“We have such a diverse population of residents living throughout Ward 2 neighborhoods stretching from the Salem line to the east side of the Highlands and Lakeside to Parrot Street,” Starbard said. “I love seeing neighborhoods where neighbors still get together and look out for one another.”
Other favorites of Starbard’s are Keaney and Cook Street parks ― which he described as some of the most popular and unique parks in the city ― and the access to hiking trails in the Spring Pond Woods.
As Ward 2 councilor, Starbard said some of his priorities include facilitating improvements at Cook Street Park through block grant funding and bringing concerns forward to the proper departments so that residents can live safely and comfortably in their neighborhoods.
“As a member of the newly-formed school building site committee, I look forward to working with the committee and community to find a suitable location for a new Pickering (Middle School) while advocating for Lynn to speed up the process for adding more schools as quickly as possible,” Starbard said.
Throughout his time as a ward councilor, Starbard also established the “Ward 2” group on the app Nextdoor, which has more than 900 Ward 2 residents as members.
Between his communication and website, Starbard said residents know that they can quickly contact him and get fast results when something arises.
During his campaign, he has heard concerns from neighbors including the condition of the streets, sidewalks, and trees.
“I am constantly reporting on all of these complaints to DPW (Department of Public Works) on a daily basis to have them addressed,” Starbard said. “We all continually try to get streets and sidewalks repaired as well as trees as they age… Infrastructure improvements are always a concern.”
Another concern Starbard addressed is public safety, including the motorbikes that he has seen racing around the neighborhood.
“I have been in contact with the Police Department and Law Department to work to strengthen ordinances so that we can do a better job addressing the motorbikes,” Starbard said. “Public safety is always something that we are looking to improve on. I encourage residents to use the Lynn Police tip line to report criminal activity which can be submitted anonymously.”
If reelected, some of Starbard’s plans for his ward include continuing to communicate with residents to address concerns and keep them informed, slowing traffic in the neighborhoods by installing speed bumps in certain neighborhoods, keeping the parks clean with the continuation of neighborhood cleanups, and advocating for public works repairs throughout Ward 2.
Starbard is running against Elizabeth Figueroa. The final election is on Tuesday, Nov. 2 and polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
