Lozzi Versus Solimine; Politics Versus Substance

For about a month, Councillor Wayne Lozzi has been sparring with the Solimine Family over a development of single family homes that will straddle a small portion of Lynn with the bulk of the development in Peabody.

Lozzi has figured out how to use the Solimine’s for his own political purposes. And all kidding aside, he has done quite well.

The Solimines have taken on the appearance in some peoples’ eyes around here as big bad developers wanting to ruin peoples’ lives.

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.

The Solimines have proposed a development that will generate hundreds of jobs among unemployed tradespeople and laborers and more than that, the development will come together after the Solimines spend millions of dollars for goods and services of every kind. And following the successful completion of the development, there will be millions of dollars in sales and broker’s fees and furniture bought and new families moving in.

The largest part of this will happen in Peabody. The smallest part will happen in Lynn.

So why the fuss? What is at risk? What does Lynn lose if this development is built?

Not much.

How will the lives of homeowners in this area of the city be effected?

Not much.

Lozzi portrays the development as having the potential to sink the area in a flood of water.

In this instance, he reminds me just a bit of a former councillor from Chelsea who once protested a development in a building that had been empty for 50 years because he was concerned what would happen when twelve toilets flushed at once in the new units.

Lozzi isn’t worried about toilets flushing. But he has poured gasoline onto the drainage issue, which is really a non-issue if drainage is taken care of by the Solimines who are not the type of people inclined to build a development that is going to flood, sink or ruin other peoples’ houses.

Lozzi portrays the Solimines as greed driven developers out for the last dollar and at the expense of Lynn’s voters and residents.

Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth.

Lozzi’s playing of the political angle – aiding his own campaign at the expense of the Solimine’s-has been masterful. I give him credit for that.

But in the end, Lozzi’s efforts to bring down the Solimines will not prevail. He will not prevail over them because they are, frankly, too good at what they do, too charitable at what they give, too honorable at root and too much a part of the Lynn community to be taken down by a guy trying to blow his own political whistle.

Right now, Lozzi is looking like a powerhouse in Ward 1 because he’s taken on the Solimines.

Human nature being what it is, virtually no one in this city who call themselves a friend of the Solimines will stand up and be counted by their side for this project because they fear that Lozzi will point an angry finger at them.

Bottom line, it appears as though the Solimines can build this development by right. They don’t need Wayne Lozzi’s OK and there aren’t enough people in Ward 6 who care enough to fight a project that has virtually nothing to do with them and won’t change their lives at all.

Lozzi has raised his political profile at the expense of the Solimine Family.

He’s going to need more than that to drive the Solimines out of Dodge with this proposed development.

It is Wayne Lozzi versus the Solimines, I suspect I know who will win this battle.

Long after Wayne Lozzi is gone as the Ward 1 councillor, the Solimines will still be in business here, as well as being among the most charitable families in this city.

Whatever they do, they do it right. This is why they have not just survived here but it is why they have prospered and most importantly, it is why they are so highly regarded throughout the city of Lynn.

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