LYNN — The New Lynn Coalition held a forum at the Lynn Museum for community members to become better acquainted with 11th Essex district state representative candidates School Committee Member Sean Reid and City Councilor-at-Large Hong Net before the State Primary on Sept. 3.
During the forum, representatives from various organizations asked Net and Reid questions, in which the moderator gave them each two minutes to respond.
The 11th Essex District includes Nahant and Precinct 3 of Ward 4, Precincts 1, 2, and 4 of Ward 5, and Wards 6 and 7 of Lynn. The seat is currently held by Rep. Peter Capano, who is retiring at the end of the session.
Advocacy group, Neighbor2Neighbor, asked how the candidates might advocate for more educational funding.
Reid said Lynn needs more Chapter 70 funding, which is the major program of aid to public elementary and secondary schools.
He added another solution to boosting funding for enrichment programs in Lynn, would be to create specific grants aimed at programs that are popular.
“It needs to be specific programs that target communities like Lynn, so that we’re able to expand sports and any other type of clubs that are on the rise,” Reid said.
Net said as the Chair of the Ways and Means Committee, funding is his expertise.
“I get elected, I will do the same thing to make sure that our youth and our school and our young people have the resources,” he said.
North Shore Labor Council asked the candidates if they would support the E-Team Machinist Program funding, which State Rep. Peter Capano has spearheaded the initiative of getting an earmark for in the State Budget.
Both Reid and Net said they will ensure the program is funded, but Reid said he wants to take it a step forward and find a permanent funding source for it through an executive office, such as the Department of Economic Development.
Reid said the legislative budgeting process can “get tricky,” and Lynn can’t “afford to lose this program, especially given the economy and the need for these types of jobs.”
The council also asked if the candidates would support a bill that would make union members eligible for unemployment benefits after two weeks of striking.
Net said he has “no problem” standing up for workers, adding it is a politician’s job to make sure life is easier for workers.
“I’m not afraid to stand up against big companies,” Net said.
Reid said over time, the state has made it more difficult for workers to organize and strike, when they should be making it easier.
“This provision would provide workers with more flexibility to strike without repercussions or financial disincentives,” he added.
The forum then brought to the table a series of questions about housing to Net and Reid.
Lynn United for Change asked if Reid and Net would sign a letter reversing the current state policy that evicts those living in homeless overflow sites after five days.
Net said he strongly believes that no one who is in an unhoused situation should be evicted from a housing shelter.
“We need more shelter,” he said. “To see children not go home, to stay in the car, and how (do) they go to school? How can they focus on being a healthy child? There’s no way.”
Reid said he is a firm believer that housing is a right and that the new policy came “very suddenly.”
He said the policy is “frustrating,” because people in those situations are often seeking employment and stabilization, which cannot be achieved in five days.
A representative from ECHO asked the candidates if they would support non-market affordable housing such as Co-ops and public housing.
“Housing is a national crisis, not just Lynn,” Net said.
He said if he were elected to office, he would work with Landowners and Homeowners to expand affordable housing access.
Net added as a State Rep, he would work with city officials to find more space in the city to build affordable housing.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Reid said, saying the state is short of 200,000 units short of affordable housing.
“If you ever want to get to a place where we have stable rents and mortgages, I think we need to think realistic, that private development will never get us there,” he said.
Reid said he would be in favor of public housing, community land trusts, deed restrictions, and recently an idea was brought to him about if a landlord freezes rent, they could get a tax break.
“We need to be as creative as possible, and I’m not afraid to take those risks,” Reid said.
