Judith Flanagan-Kennedy’s election last week marks a new era in Lynn politics.
Her candidacy by write-in defied all odds and her final victory, although by 27 votes, also defied all odds.
Her two victories leading to the mayor’s office is the stuff of legend – and many, many years from now people will talk about how Flanagan-Kennedy came literally and physically out of nowhere to beat out – and if you will – to beat up – a very tough, longtime mayor, who many of us believed could not lose.
The rub for Flanagan-Kennedy is to now figure out what exactly she is going to do with the city and how she is going to approach an administration that will be entirely hers for the asking.
Will she leave some people in place or will she clean house on all the Clancy appointments?
Will she come in with fresh ideas about how to plug gaping fiscal holes without shutting down city services?
How will she plan to keep the city afloat during a fiscal crisis era when it is predicted the state’s deficit will exceed $600 million in 2010 and probably $1 billion the year after that?
One might well ask – why would anyone want to be the mayor of Lynn when the ship of state is floundering?
That being said, Flanagan-Kennedy’s campaign was unbelievable.
Without resources, without a machine, without so much of what Clancy had after all these years, she was able to put together more than 8000 voters who wanted her and no one else.
These days, big city mayors need to be magicians with budgets in order to balance them. They also need to perform miracles with limited resources growing more limited.
The recession has crushed the local economy. Thousands are out of work and looking for jobs.
But there is no job creation and without job creation, there is no end to the recession.
Judith Flanagan-Kennedy’s victory is all about change.
She has done the impossible by pushing Clancy out of office – and Clancy wasn’t exactly an unpopular mayor.
Now it is on with the task of getting through the recount, which she will win, and taking the oath of office, which she will do, and getting down to the business of taking care Lynn.
We wish her the best of luck.
We congratulate her on her stunning victory.
Best wishes to Mayor-elect Judith Flanagan-Kennedy.