What we didn’t know about Michael Cole was that he was a phenomenal high school golfer at Malden Catholic who likely would have earned a position on the Division 1 Holy Cross team.
Cole, the communications and outreach coordinator in Mayor’s Thomas McGee’s Administration, has been busy handling media requests during these unprecedented times of a coronavirus and keeping Lynn residents informed about all aspects of the city’s assistance related to COVID-19.
Cole, 26, began in his new position on Sept. 25, having previously served as the community relations coordinator in Mayor McGee’s office.
Cole has been a key member of the mayor’s administrative team since the outset of the new administration. He served as a manager of McGee’s successful campaign for mayor.
McGee praised Cole’s important contribution to his team at City Hall.
“Michael has been such a great part of the team from the day I came into office,” said Mayor McGee. “He’s been such a great addition and he’s bilingual. He’s been really great in terms of his interaction in our community and he has the skills and the temperament and the ability to really step up and do even more of what he’s been doing in the past. I’m very excited for him to be with me and he’s going to be a great resource, not only for me, but for the community in being able to communicate with the media and residents to get the information out that’s important. I’m really have Mike on the team and it’s great for us to have him taking on this role.”
Cole had a stellar three-sport (golf, basketball, and lacrosse) career at Malden Catholic. He became the No. 1 golfer and the Lancers’ team captain. The 5-foot, 10-inch Cole battled former St. John’s Prep star and future Mass Amateur champion Nick McLaughlin to a tie in a head-to-head matchup in high school. ICole’s first job as a youth was at Gannon Golf Course working in the pro shop and in other capacities.
Interestingly, Cole was an MC golf and lacrosse teammate of Matt Hamill, who is the younger brother of his current colleague in Mayor McGee’s office, Chief of Staff Meaghen Hamill.
The Lynn Journal interviewed Michael Cole about his new position and his background in Lynn and following are his responses:
Do you put together a daily coronavirus update?
I post on social media and send it out each day. Public health maintains the dashboard and just sends me the data to share, then I will typically include one bit of public information in the update as well.
When did you first meet Mayor Thomas McGee?
My younger brother [Joshua] played sports with his son, Thomas, growing up. I knew Mr. McGee since I was younger but came to establish a relationship with him in college.
Did you have an internship in Lynn during college?
I interned with Mayor McGee for two summers in the State Senate.
Please talk about your family’s support of your endeavors in your development years.
Michael and Mary Cole are my parents. They have been incredibly supportive of me my entire life. My mother actually worked for Mayor DiVirgilio and I sit in the same desk as she did then.
Which elementary, middle, and high schools did you attend? Was there a high school teacher that may have inspired your interest in English, writing, or communications?
I attended St. Pius V Elementary/Middle
School and Malden Catholic High School.
I first became interested in Politics during the 2008 Presidential Election (Barack Obama versus John McCain). I always enjoyed history but in my seventh and eighth grade American History classes we used to mock-debate the topics related to the Presidential Election and would be asked to choose a candidate’s side.
Then in High School I became very interested in Spanish language through Mrs. Maria Crotty at Malden Catholic and later went on to major in the language in college.
Did you play youth sports and high school sports?
Yes, I played golf growing up, Lttle League ans Babe Ruth baseball, CYO and Middle School basketball, Lynn Youth Soccer, and played golf, basketball and lacrosse at Malden Catholic.
Where did you attend college? What was your major field of study? In what year did you graduate?
I graduated from Holy Cross in 2016. I was a double major in Political Science and Spanish.
What field of employment did you enter following your graduation from college?
I started working at the United Way of Central Massachusetts in Worcester after graduation. I then worked as Mayor McGee’s campaign manager in 2017 and have been working in the Mayor’s office since he came into office in 2018.
What do you want to say about the collaboration and teamwork demonstrated by you and your colleagues in Mayor McGee’s office?
I think we have had a great team working in the Mayor’s office during our time. I already had relationships with some of the staff that came over from the State Senate and through my internship and the campaign. We are just now at a full-staffing capacity in the office with a few recent hires which is helpful as well.
What have been the challenges of working during the COVID-19 pandemic and trying to inform the residents of Lynn about important matters related to the health crisis?
It has been very difficult working through the COVID-19 pandemic and trying to keep residents informed. We created a Coronavirus Resources webpage on the City Website, have been sending daily updates, plan to send out a COVID-19 mailer to all residents soon, hosted two town halls, collaborated with Revere, Chelsea, Everett and Boston in their media efforts and sent out Smart 911 messages to keep residents informed.
Mayor McGee received a tremendous vote in defeating a popular, incumbent mayor. He is widely credited for doing an exceptional job as mayor. What do you want to say about his leadership of this city, especially during these unprecedented times?
One thing that has always been clear to me about Mayor McGee is his love for the City of Lynn. He’s lived here his entire life, and each and every day he is doing what he thinks is in the best interest of the City and its residents. There are many difficult decisions he has to make especially during the current pandemic, but I know the Mayor is doing everything he can to be the leader the city needs during this time. What I admire most about the Mayor is his ability to weigh every option before making what he believes is the best decision for the City at the time.
Have you considered running for office yourself in the future?
No I have not.
Thank you, Michael.