Special to the Journal
Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson announced at a campaign reception Monday that he will be a candidate for re-election in the 2025 municipal election.
Nicholson, 39, was elected the 59th mayor of Lynn on Nov. 2, 2021, and was inaugurated on Jan. 3, 2022. He succeeded Thomas McGee as chief executive of the city.
A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Nicholson delivered an inspiring speech highlighting his numerous accomplishments during his term.
Following is the text of Mayor Nicholson’s remarks:
“I am so excited to announce tonight that I am running for reelection as Mayor of the City of Lynn.
Lynn’s time is now. What so many have talked about as potential is starting to become a reality. We have unparalleled access to public infrastructure resources and private investment. And we have a terrific team in place in City Hall, my partners in elected office, and our community and business leaders.
Our job now, and my plan for the next four years, is to continue to make the most of these opportunities. Protect our gains and one another. Most importantly, make sure that the opportunities for the City of Lynn translate into gains for the residents of Lynn.
To do that we need inclusive and balanced growth. We need strong execution of core City functions and successful implementation of our many plans with equity in mind. We need to make the City work for all of us and continue to be a force for good in an uncertain world.
Four years ago, we ran a campaign promising a strong recovery from COVID-19 and inclusive growth. Thanks to the wonderful efforts of so many, we have delivered.
The number of jobs in Lynn reached pre-COVID highs and then surpassed them.
We desperately needed a senior center and now have a beautiful one.
Two years from now, we are on track to deliver a brand-new Pickering Middle School that will solve overcrowding at the middle school level.
We lined up the largest private investment in the City’s history, over $450 million at the South Harbor site on the Lynnway.
We successfully fought for restored ferry service to Boston and a temporary platform when ours was abruptly shut down.
And we’ve done it all with fiscal discipline, achieving hard to come by upgrades from our ratings agencies.
We continue to push to make sure that this growth includes all of us, implementing a successful inclusionary zoning policy that’s already created affordable units for Lynn residents and an Affordable Housing Trust Fund that’s already supporting the creation of hundreds of units at deeper levels of affordability.
Through grit, ingenuity, and teamwork, we’re accomplishing what once seemed impossible by adding classrooms by the dozens on a limited budget. We’ve opened a new pre-K center and a new high school, the Frederick Douglass Collegiate Academy. We’ve increased the number of seats at Lynn Tech by 25%, adding new shops in biotechnology and construction. Adults benefit too, with new evening programs at Tech in high demand industries like automotive, plumbing, and welding.
Lynn’s time is now. We’re getting more folks involved, improving diversity at City Hall, with a majority of our hires identifying as people of color. The interpreters we brought to City Hall help make sure all residents find what they need.
We also want the City shine physically. We added dozens of new barrels all over the city – parks, playgrounds, parking lots and street corners. We’re adding several accessible playgrounds, more turf fields, and open space on the waterfront.
We’re going to continue to grow our public safety team with another 10 recruits going to the next Police Academy, the coming launch of the Lynn Calm Team and the deep collaboration between the police, schools, and community groups in service of our youth.
We set a record for streets paved last year and we’re upgrading several of our major roadways to make it easier to get around the city.
Lynn’s time is now, to continue to grow together. Nowhere brings people together from such different walks of life so brilliantly like the City of Lynn. It’s a deeply held value that will stay with us through thick and thin. That’s why I am so excited tonight to ask for your support in the election next year. Thank you!