LYNN — After serving three terms as the 11th Essex district’s state representative, Peter Capano has decided to not run for reelection.
“It’s just time to retire. I want to spend more time with my family, my grandkids, and you know… I’m at (that) age,” Capano said.
Before joining the state House of Representatives, Capano served seven terms on the City Council. He first ran for the council’s Ward 6 seat in 1997. In an Item article from August 1997, a 39-year-old Capano said his campaign was focused on “economic development, education, and public safety efforts,” as well as being strongly opposed to “any change in Lynn’s property tax classification.” He added at the time that he would “push for creative ways to expand and develop new local businesses.”
Now at the age of 66, Capano said he’s very proud of the work he’s done throughout the past few decades, feeling “privileged and honored to have served and found the accomplishments that we’ve been successful in over the years.”
“The things I’m most proud of are the community path that stretches from Saugus through West Lynn; the Washington Street gateway project, built with 100% union labor; the West Lynn combined sewer overflow project… that will relieve flooding in West Lynn; founding the Community Enrichment Program and E-Team Machinist Training Program; night schools at Lynn Tech; the Homeowners Bill of Rights Ordinance; the Wage Theft Ordinance; working with the state delegation to lay the seeds for the future of transportation in Lynn,” Capano, whose district contains West Lynn and Nahant, said.
In his successor, Capano hopes to see a “continued advocacy for jobs, transportation, and housing in the city.”
Speculation has already begun concerning who that successor will be, and a few have expressed interest in running for the seat.
School Committee member Sean Reid said he is throwing his name in the race.
“I’m running for sure,” Reid said. “I’m really excited to serve the district in a different way and tackle some of the challenges that we’re facing around mostly education, housing, economic development, community safety, and anything else that makes our residents’ lives better and our district top-tier.”
Tristan Smith, who is considering entering the race, said that he wants to make sure Lynn and Nahant have the advocacy needed at the state level to address issues such as public transportation, the housing crisis, and the effects of climate change on coastal communities.
“All of those really work together and we need the state’s help on it, and so I would be a really loud voice for Lynn and Nahant,” Smith said.
Smith’s family has a history of service in the state House of Representatives. His father, James E. Smith, served as a state representative for a district that included part of what is now the 11th Essex district, and his cousin Steven M. Walsh represented the 11th Essex district from 2003 to 2014.
Drew Russo, the city’s Personnel director, talked about the possibility of running for Capano’s seat.
“I’ve been proud to be represented by (Capano), and you know, as far as the future goes, I’m going to take a couple of days, talk to some friends and people that have supported me previously,” Russo said. “I am giving it some serious consideration and intend to really think it through very, very seriously over the next few days.”
City Councilor-at-Large Hong Net, who could not be reached for comment, is another possible candidate for the seat.
Russo and Net ran against Capano six years ago.
Candidates have until April 30 to file papers to run for the seat, according to the Commonwealth’s website.
Benjamin Pierce contributed to this article.
