Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines “inflection” as a “bend, curve, angle.” The city of Lynn arrived at an inflection point Tuesday night at 9 when unofficial results from the city election gave School Committee member Jared Nicholson a 7,962-4,532 resounding victory over City Council President Darren Cyr.
The win brought the curtain down on a city election that saw Nicholson embrace the word “inclusionary” in endorsing a sweeping plan to ease Lynn’s housing crisis. He called unarmed crisis-response teams a new “skill set” in Lynn’s public-safety arsenal and talked about ways the city could support restaurants bludgeoned by the COVID-19-driven economic downturn.
Cyr ended his campaign with a full attack on Nicholson, branding his opponent as a town-of-Sudbury transplant whose campaign was funded by “outside” money. The criticisms didn’t wash with almost two out of every three Lynn voters who endorsed Nicholson’s perspective on Lynn’s future.
It is clear from the words he spoke during campaign debates that Nicholson defines that future as one that ensures as many voices as possible are heard in Lynn. It is a future that ensures new ideas are welcome and abandons the notion that elected officials must cling to old ideas for governing the city.
The overwhelming support he received tells us that Nicholson’s relatively-short tenure as a Lynn resident (seven years) may be his greatest asset. By virtue of being from somewhere else, he brings a perspective on the city’s needs that may have been lacking in its leadership for too long.
His decision to raise his son in the city and to commit his time and energy to serving on the School Committee (where, as mayor, he will serve as chairman) make him one of many Lynn residents who decided this is the city where they want to live and thrive.
When he takes the oath of office and officially becomes mayor in January, Nicholson will face challenges and, maybe, even emergencies as he embarks on his first year in office. Like any leader, he will make mistakes and missteps as he shapes a policy vision and rounds out a team of advisors to help guide that vision. We hope that when the road gets rough, Nicholson will lean on the strong support he received Tuesday night from his fellow Lynn residents to bolster his confidence and give him inspiration.
In other races on Tuesday night, Lynn voters elected Coco Alinsug as Ward 3’s new councilor (he will replace Cyr), and elected three new School Committee members — Eric Dugan, Tiffany Magnolia and Lenny Pena — while giving council at-large and three other committee incumbents votes of confidence.
Saugus and Peabody voters opted for change by ousting contentious School Committeeman Arthur Grabowski and making a change in the City Council ward ranks while Salem voters stuck with popular Mayor Kimberley Driscoll.
