LYNN — Tuesday’s city council elections ushered in a new era for the city’s politics, particularly in three different wards, each of which will now be led by newcomers to the city council.
Peter Meaney, Obed Matul, and Natasha Megie-Maddrey will take over the roles of three city council members in wards 1, 2, and 4, respectively.
Departing from Ward 1 is Wayne Lozzi, who served 20 years on the council for his 10 terms in office after serving on the city’s planning board.
“Being a councilor was an honor and a privilege,” Lozzi, who defeated Michael Phelps in 2003 to succeed Jane Teal as Ward 1 Councilor, said.
During his 2003 victory, Lozzi told The Item his focus on the council would be improving city services.
He conveyed a similar sentiment when he reflected on his time in office this week.
“I focused quite a bit on quality of life issues and constituents services,” said Lozzi, the son of former city councilor and state Rep. Vincent Lozzi. “I was proud of the fact that I found various funding to get park improvements and other improvements in Ward 1.”
As for how he’d like to be remembered, Lozzi kept things simple.
“Somebody that was dependable and could get it done,” Lozzi said.
Lozzi’s message to Ward 1 Councilor-elect Peter Meaney was to continue to focus on what he can do for those who live and work in Ward 1.
“Listen, respond, and do the best that you can do,” Lozzi said.
Lozzi said he would still be active in the city and keep his pulse on what was going on in Lynn, adding that this may not be the end of his involvement in city government.
“I have not dismissed the idea of coming back into politics,” Lozzi said.
Ward 2 Councilor Richard Starbard is the junior among the three departing councilors, having served three terms before deciding to take more time to focus on his business, family, and organizations that he is involved with.
Starbard won the Ward 2 seat in 2017 after defeating Gina O’Toole in the race to replace Starbard’s predecessor, William Trahant Jr.
“I think that folks are a lot more engaged and connected to the community with things like that,” Starbard said.
Starbard, who served on the school committee prior to joining the council, said that some of his major accomplishments were his efforts to increase community engagement by keeping people informed with the newsletter and holding community meetings.
The revitalization of Cook Street Park was something that Starbard said was among his proudest accomplishments during his time on the council and was something he said was a priority from day one.
“I think it’s one of the coolest parks in the city,” Starbard said. “It’s just a great space, and I’m glad we were able to get a lot of work done up there.”
Though he’ll be out of public office, Starbard said he would continue his work on various boards and organizations in the city.
Starbard said he was excited to see the work his successor, Ward 2 Councilor-elect Matul, would do for the ward.
“He’s another one I think is going to raise the bar and take constituent service and community engagement to the next level,” Starbard said, adding he hoped that Matul would be conscious of going vote by vote and not turning to political “horse trading” the way Starbard said he did in office.
“My colleagues always respected my opinions, it’s not like we got into a battle about it, and at the end of the day, we all had a beer,” Starbard said. “And that’s how it should be.”
The biggest absence from the council will be the departure of Richard Colucci, who has represented Ward 4 for more than 30 years and is the longest-serving councilor in the city’s history.
Colucci was elected to the seat after squaring off against Albert “Albie” Waldron in the 1990 election to replace Colucci’s predecessor, Robert Tucker.
In July, Colucci said he was departing the council to tend to personal issues and planned on traveling with his wife, Carolina.
“I’ll still be local. When people call me, I’ll help if I can,” he said. “I want to go on vacation now, and then my wife wants me to go on a vacation too. For 33 years, she’s been with me every year I’ve been doing this, so I have to give her a lot of credit for putting up with it.”
Colucci did not respond to multiple requests for comment. His successor will be Ward 4 Councilor-elect Megie-Maddrey.
