Special to the Journal
The Metropolitan Mayors Coalition has added the City of Lynn to its membership, the group’s co-chairs announced this week. The Metro Mayors Coalition, or MMC, has worked for over two decades to bring together the leaders of Metro Boston’s urban communities to find solutions to local issues and policy challenges.
MMC leaders represent more than 1.6 million residents living in the 17 cities and towns of Arlington, Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Lynn, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Newton, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, Watertown, and Winthrop. Currently led by Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn and Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang, the coalition came together in 2001 under the leadership of Boston Mayor Tom Menino to advocate for legislative and policy priorities that have a regional impact. The coalition is convened and staffed by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC).
“Lynn has long collaborated with our neighbors to achieve better results for our residents more efficiently and effectively,” said Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson. “I’m thrilled to make that collaboration official and join this coalition of mayors and managers to deliver the inclusive growth residents across the region deserve.”
Meeting regularly as a full body, the Coalition also convenes three topical working groups: the Regional Housing Taskforce, the Climate Preparedness Taskforce, and an Opioid Working Group. These groups coordinate regional projects and state level advocacy campaigns.
“We are proud to welcome Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson to the Metro Mayors Coalition,” said Yi-An Huang, city manager of Cambridge and co-chair of the Coalition. “The opportunity to learn from and collaborate with neighboring cities and towns on the challenges we all face makes each of our communities, and our entire region, stronger. Mayor Nicholson’s experience will be invaluable as we continue to address challenges that no one community can take on alone.”
“The challenges our region faces don’t stop at municipal borders, and our responses to them can’t either,” said Medford Mayor and MMC Co-Chair Breanna Lungo-Koehn. “Welcoming Lynn to our Coalition reflects that. Mayor Nicholson’s expertise and his communities’ experiences will not only better inform our shared work and make that work more efficient, but also allow that work to improve the lives of more people across our region.”
“For more than 20 years, the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition has helped drive our region forward by sharing experiences, expertise and solutions across municipal borders,” said Marc Draisen, MAPC’s executive director. “Mayor Nicholson’s leadership in Lynn and collaboration with colleagues across the region make him a natural fit to join the Coalition, and I am excited to see all that we can achieve together.” For more information on the MMC, visit mapc.org/get-involved/coalitions/mmc.