“When we’re saying that we’re resolved for the future that we want, it’s not about changing who we are. It’s about working with the folks that are here to help everyone step into the shared future that we are hoping for ourselves,” Mayor Jared Nicholson said during an interview with The Daily Item to a crowd of about five. Nicholson reviewed the highlights before his second State of the City address, which was held in the Council Chambers at 6 p.m.
Violence and Peace
Nicholson said all of the issues that his administration is working on are really interrelated, particularly the theme of wanting peace for the community. He said violence in Lynn is “really a precondition of everything the city wants to accomplish.”
Working with community members and the police department to get out in the community to knock on doors is crucial, he said. Nicholson said he will take a proactive approach to speak to residents impacted by violence.
Around the topic of community violence, Nicholson said that in the face of challenging moments, being resolved will result in progress. From civil rights leaders, law enforcement, churches, educators, and health care providers, community violence requires attention from all.
“Things can be better, things will be better, and we’re the ones that are going to make that happen, meaning us as a community,” Nicholson said.
Jobs
Nicholson touched on initiatives to create jobs and programs that have already been implemented to promote economic development. Some of those examples include a program through MassHire to pay for residents to get their commercial driver’s license and a grant that will enable successful applicants to pursue welding and automobile technician jobs.
“There’s this huge interest and demand and ambition that our residents have to get into good paying jobs, and we’re looking to harness that and meet that need,” he said.
Housing
Housing was another major theme in the State of the City address. Nicholson’s administration is working on an anti-harassment policy that will help enforce against landlords unlawfully harassing tenants. Nicholson said City Hall often receives these kinds of calls, but the city doesn’t have an enforcement agency to address landlord harassment incidents. The mayor said there are a lot of great landlords out there, but there just needs to be some type of official mediation between landlords and tenants.
Nicholson said the city is partnering with Northeast Legal Aid on an Eviction Prevention Project that has assisted more than 160 tenants to fund legal help for tenants to prevent evictions.
He announced efforts to preserve affordable housing and transformative investments all around the city to set the stage for the kind of growth the city is looking for to benefit its residents.
Nicholson said housing in Lynn is one of the most pressing needs for residents, and the cost of housing stands out as a major challenge.
“It’s a growth inhibitor in that it makes it harder to retain our workforce and overwhelms our residents’ income, and it’s a destabilizing force on exactly the kind of supportive, caring networks that we are trying to create for our youth to combat community violence,” Nicholson said.
“There are still thousands and thousands of residents that are paying way too much for housing,” he said.
Infrastructure
“You’re seeing that our parks are being transformed, our roads are being transformed, the city’s public buildings are being upgraded and transformed,” he said.
Lynn has worked to protect and permanently preserve Lynn Woods to ensure that it remains an important recreational resource for the region and a supplier of clean water for residents.
There are a lot of projects down the pipeline, the mayor said, especially to pave roads to enhance public safety.
“Just the amount of dollars we’re putting into the roadways, we’ve been able to add an extra $3 million from American Rescue Plan funds,” Nicholson said.
For public buildings, Nicholson and his staff have their eyes on long-term investments to upgrade the Fayette Street Fire Station and the senior center and also to restore the fountain on the Commons. The fountain will spurt again on May 14, 2025, the mayor said, thanks to a state grant.
Nicholson announced that The signature Waterfront Harbor Park is scheduled to open next year. Investments are being made in several neighborhood parks, from adding turf surfaces at the McManus field to irrigation at Keaney Park.
Schools
“For all of this, we see the schools as really the foundation for everything we’re doing in the future,” Nicholson said.
He said that addressing the schools’ conditions and the lack of space has been a top priority for Nicholson and his team. The mayor said the city has made much progress on the Pickering Middle School project.
A major goal is to get students a pre-k education, Nicholson said. Nicholson was excited to announce that Lynn Public Schools is going to add 250 seats for pre-k next year. This school year, 90 pre-k seats were added. He also praised the work that Superintendent of Schools Evonne Alvarez is doing.
“We’re thrilled; she’s got a lot of great momentum, and the Lynn Public Schools is a tremendous organization, and she has a lot to work with, and she really hit the ground running,” Nicholson said.
Life Sciences
The city is working with a clean energy leader to highlight and showcase Lynn as a great place to do business.
Nicholson said Lynn “has the industrial capacity, the workforce, and the planning in place to really thrive in partnership with these exciting industries that have a lot of that growth potential. The long-term vision is to continue to try to help Lynn tap into that growth.”
Questions from The Daily Item Staff
When answering questions during his interview with The Daily Item, Nicholson spoke about challenges he has faced, specifically with the closing and temporary relocation of the downtown Lynn commuter rail MBTA station, but also about moments in his tenure that he has enjoyed the most.
A major surprise was when the MBTA shut down the commuter rail station, he said.
“That was incredibly frustrating,” Nicholson said. “This is not fair to cut the city off from access to transportation…that hurt to have that station shut down, and we saw its impact on people’s day-to-day lives.”
Nicholson spoke about partnerships with the city council, particularly his relationship with Councilor Jay Walsh.
The mayor also talked about what makes his job enjoyable.
“We work with great people, so my staff, the folks that work for the city, our teachers, our police officers, our firefighters, you get to interact with folks in those moments, and the passion and concern for their community really comes through. And the pride in their ability to help improve the community, and those are really special opportunities to remind ourselves why we do this work,” Nicholson said.
Nicholson added that working with students is energizing, and he loves small business openings.
“I love those. You see an entrepreneur putting themselves out there with the support of their friends, their family, their parents are there, their children are there, and it’s just a really festive moment that’s built around hope,” Nicholson said.
Now in his second year in office, Nicholson spoke about his relationship with The Daily Item. He said he often struggles to reach people, and The Daily Item does just that.
“We’re fortunate in the city to have a locally owned, independent real daily newspaper, and that’s not something that a lot of communities have,” Nicholson said. “We’ve found that to be a productive partnership and that you all have been really receptive to us sort of sharing what we’re doing.”
State of the City Address
The Council Chambers was the occasion for the speech. Nicholson’s constituents packed the chambers to hear the mayor deliver his second address since being in office. He spoke with vigor and received a few standing ovations and moments of applause.
The first standing ovation came after the mayor announced that the city has been able to diversify its workforce, increasing the percentage of city employees of color from 1 in 10 in 2018 to 1 in 3 this year.
On affordable housing, Nicholson noted his administration is evaluating a proposal from Harborlight Homes for a transaction to preserve more than 100 units of naturally occurring affordable housing. That’s currently affordable but privately held, which, if sold, could overnight become unaffordable for the many people who live there.
To combat hunger, Nicholson appointed a newly created Food Policy Council in January to help steer the Phoenix Food Hub that served more than 1500 unique consumers.
The auditorium was filled with enthusiasm after the mayor provided updates on the Fayette Street Fire Station and aspirations to clean King’s Beach.
When Nicholson discussed schools, applause quickly followed.
“A school pathway is a great example of enhancing our connections. Our teachers are doing great work in our classrooms; our students are, too. Encouraging those with common interests, interests in particular types of learning or in areas of future opportunities, the cluster, to share and deepen those interests, to build community, is a great example of how we want to come together, to build on what we have,” he said.
District Attorney Paul Tucker called Nicholson’s speech “realistic and optimistic.”
“I think the mayor articulated an ambitious, audacious vision for Lynn that he is working with community partners, the city council, and the state delegation to implement. This is a person who is inspired by the city of Lynn, he’s inspired by the people, he’s inspired by the promise. And he’s not afraid of the challenges,” state Representative Jenny Armini said.
Ward Three Councilor Coco Alinsung is Nicholson’s neighbor. He offered his remarks after the speech.
“We’re six feet away from each other….what I’ve observed is I’ve seen a mayor and a neighbor that is very passionate about the city,” Alinsung said.
Stacy Bryant-Brown works in the Lynn Juvenile Court office and has been in that line of work for 28 years. She commented on the needs of at-risk youth in the city and what approaches need to be taken by the city to help them.
“Our kids need to be encouraged, they need to feel like they are loved… I feel like there is a story behind their behavior, and some people fail to realize that they’re acting out for a reason,” Bryant-Brown said.
Councilor-at-Large Nicole McClain offered her remarks on the Mayor’s vision for the future.
“I actually am happy to hear some of the progress that is being made because when you’re just going about your day-to-day life, you don’t know how much is being done, so to hear that and for it to be a fact, I was inspired by it,” McClain said.
Nicholson closed his speech by talking about resolve.
“My resolve comes from wanting to get it right for my family. Raising my boys in a place they’ll be safe, loved, taught well, and proud of. I certainly am energized by the resolve I feel in this room, the resolve all of you bring everyday to better our community. Wherever your resolve comes from, we need it, we feel it, and we share it,” he said.
