Jared Nicholson came to Lynn in 2014 after graduating from Harvard Law School and prior to that, Princeton University, with highest honors. He founded a legal aid practice in Lynn that provided free legal advice to low-income entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Seven years later, Nicholson has been elected the new mayor of Lynn, having earned an impressive victory in the city election Tuesday.
Nicholson, 35, received 7,962 votes to defeat Darren Cyr, a long-time Ward 3 city councillor and current president of the City Council, who received 4,532 votes.
Nicholson will be inaugurated as mayor of Lynn in January, succeeding Mayor Thomas McGee, who decided not to see re-election to a second term.
Nicholson celebrated his victory with his supporters at Trio’s Restaurant on Market Street.
“It feels amazing to be elected mayor,” said Nicholson. “We had a great time [at Trio’s], and it was such a great opportunity to thank our supporters and to celebrate a really exciting result.”
Nicholson, who is in his third term on the Lynn School Committee, launched his campaign for mayor in March. He finished first in the Sept. 14 preliminary election, with Cyr taking second place. School Committee member Michael Satterwhite finished third in the election.
“When I found out Tom wasn’t running, I felt like it was the right moment for me to step up,” said Nicholson.
Nicholson assembled a large team of Lynn residents for his mayoral campaign. “We put together a broad coalition and, in the end, there were hundreds of volunteers,” said Nicholson. “As a team overall, in the campaign we knocked on close to 20,000 doors. I personally knocked on almost 6,000 doors.
“The response was so positive,” he added. “I was always grateful for that opportunity to have that really brief window into folks’ lives and what they care about and their vision for the future.”
Nicholson participated in numerous debates and forums with Cyr during the campaign.
“I have a lot of respect for Councillor Cyr and his team, and appreciate his contributions to the city,” said Nicholson.
Nicholson said he has begun the transition process to form his mayoral administration. As mayor, Nicholson will also serve as chair of the Lynn School Committee.