LYNN — City voters chose Jared Nicholson as the 58th mayor of Lynn on Tuesday in a sweeping victory that saw the School Committee member win every one of the city’s 28 precincts.
Nicholson, 35, received 63.48 percent of the votes (7,962), while his opponent Darren Cyr, the City Council president, took 36.13 percent of the votes (4,532). For the first time in 20 years, the mayoral election did not feature an incumbent mayor. Mayor Thomas M. McGee announced in March his decision not to run for a second term.
“We did it!” said Nicholson, addressing his supporters who gathered at Trio’s Mexican Grill. “We are hoping to build a better style of government, doing the hard work to find solutions in the interest of the entire city.”
Nicholson said that his victory was a testament to the grassroots campaign he and his supporters led. His volunteers knocked on 20,000 doors in Lynn, while Nicholson personally knocked on 6,000 doors, he said.
“We’re going to work how we campaigned. We’re going to build the administration for all of us, no matter what ward you are from, no matter what language you speak or who you voted for, no matter when your family came into the city,” said Nicholson.
McGee, who was celebrating with Nicholson at Trio’s, said that the people of Lynn understood Nicholson’s vision for the city.
Cyr’s supporters gathered at the Knights of Columbus.
“The voters clearly had a choice,” said Cyr. “And they made their choice. Right now, I am OK with this.”
Cyr, 62, has been a city councilor for Ward 3 for 16 years and City Council president for the last four years. He thanked all the people who helped him during the campaign and the citizens of Lynn who voted for him in the city councilor races.
“I’ve given everything I’ve got to the city and I will continue to do that,” said Cyr.
Cyr wishes nothing but the best to his opponent. He said he is a call away if the city councilors or the School Committee members need his help and that he is looking forward to spending more time with his family but is not closing the door on future runs for office.
Almost 23 percent of registered voters came out to the polls this time. Several poll workers told the Item that they expected more people to cast their ballots, especially because the incumbent was not running for reelection.
Both Nicholson and Cyr announced their candidacies in March 2021 and launched their campaigns in May.
Three candidates jumped into the race from the beginning: Cyr, Nicholson and Michael Satterwhite, a member of the School Committee. Satterwhite was eliminated in September’s preliminary election, getting 28 percent of the votes.
Nicholson came in first in the preliminary elections with 39.7 percent, while Cyr took 31.9 percent.
However, the turnout was low in September. Only 14.8 percent of registered voters cast a ballot. When McGee was elected in 2017, beating former Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, the turnout was 28 percent.
Cyr raised about $197,000 for his campaign between March 1 and Nov. 2, according to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. He received $37,150 over the last month before the final elections, between Oct.1 and Nov. 2.
Nicholson’s campaign was able to bring in about $147,000 between March 1 and Nov. 2 and $55,227 from Oct. 1 to Nov. 2.
Nicholson’s candidacy garnered a considerable amount of endorsements leading up to the Nov. 2 election. State Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) was the first one to endorse Nicholson for mayor in June.
“Throughout my 16-year career in public service, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with many dedicated members of the Lynn community,” Crighton said. “Today I am honored to announce my support for one of the brightest, hardest-working individuals that I’ve ever worked with.”
Crighton said he and Nicholson fight for many shared priorities, including school funding, job creation, transportation improvements and making sure that all Lynn residents have access to housing they can afford.
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Lynn) announced his endorsement in July. Moulton said at the time that he doesn’t usually get involved in local races, but he thought this was “a real moment for Lynn” and that’s why he wants to see Nicholson at the helm.
“This is a critical time in the city of Lynn’s history and, if we navigate this moment well and have a good partnership between federal and local government, we can do big things,” Moulton said in his endorsement. “We can electrify the Commuter Rail system to turn it into a regional-rail system … and we can even extend the Blue Line and make Lynn for Boston what Brooklyn is for Manhattan, and I want to work with Jared to do that.”
“(There’s) sort of an old boys’ network who just likes things the way they are,” said Moulton.
Finally, in October, McGee announced that he was endorsing Nicholson as the next mayor of Lynn.
In his announcement, McGee said that being mayor requires patience, an open mind, forward thinking, thoughtfulness, poise under pressure, and consensus building, all of which he believes Nicholson possesses.
“I have had the privilege of serving alongside him on the School Committee and witnessing first hand his passion, determination, and commitment to Lynn,” McGee said. “Jared has shown he is a valued teammate and proven leader.”
Other endorsements Nicholson received included IUE-CWA 201, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 12 and the Carmen’s Union, Members of the North Shore Labor Council (NSLC), Lynn Teachers Union (LTU), Lynn Firefighters Local 739, the North Shore and Merrimack Valley Building Trades Council, 1199SEIU and 32BJ SEIU.
