LYNN — After 10 years of serving on the City Council, and 2025 being his fourth year as council president, Jay Walsh has decided he won’t be running for reelection.
“I feel like it’s the right time to leave. My daughter is playing sports, softball particularly, and I just want to spend more time making sure I’m going to those games,” Walsh said.
He explained that it was a family decision not to run again to make sure he’s around more and also to have a larger presence at his family’s business, John’s Oil.
“I’ve got to be here more, running the business for my family. It’s pretty simple. I just wanted to make sure I had more time with my family, and the time just felt right. My daughter is in ninth grade. I feel like if I want to be there for those next three years of high school, plus whatever comes after, I’m not going to be able to dedicate all that time to the city that it deserves. Something that I have been doing,” he said.
Walsh knew it was time to focus more on family after the years he had dedicated to the city.
“I don’t want to miss those moments anymore,” he said.
There have been multiple things that Walsh felt proud of accomplishing and being a part of while on the council, including the use of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money.
“We were able to get a lot of that money into our parks system which I think was a huge win for the city overall, but as a ward councilor my wife and my family would have to say, and I agree, one of the best things was getting the rail trail completed at the train tracks. That was something we were able to push over the hill. A lot of people were involved in getting it done,” Walsh said. “As a ward councilor, that was a big thing to get done for my neighborhood here.”
He also named Harbor Park as an accomplishment, stating that at the beginning he felt like he championed the fight for the park to be built.
“I spent a lot of time bringing people out on my own boat, councilors and people, just showing them what it could be. I took them to Spectacle Island, which is almost a replica of what we have, and was able to show people what it could be. I think that was a pretty proud moment,” he said.
Walsh stated there were a lot of people involved in getting all of those things done, and he’d pick those as some of the proudest things he’s been able to be a part of and help complete.
And when he was asked what he’d miss after his final year on the council, Walsh said, “I think being able to have input in the decisions made in the city in a small way. If you run for these office positions, I think you feel you want to make things better, and you want to have that input to do that, whatever those things are. When you get to those jobs and you’re able to have a very small say in those things, it makes you feel like you’re able to achieve something for your city.”
Walsh also said that he doesn’t believe these jobs should be lifetime jobs, as eventually you get worn out.
“I think somebody coming in new behind you could really pick that torch up and keep pushing,” he said.
