By Cary Shuman
Billy Devin Jr., whose family name has been synonymous with Lynn Classical athletic excellence for decades, kicked off his campaign for the Ward 7 Council seat at a reception at Hibernian Hall.
Devin, whose campaign signs bear the Classical green and gold colors, welcomed a large crowd of supporters to the event.
“Devin For Seven,” said Devin, a lifelong Lynn resident, referring to his catchy campaign slogan.
Billy Devin Jr. is making his first run for public office after a distinguished 30-year career in the Lynn school district, including the last 17 years as the director of athletics at Lynn Classical where the programs soared under his guidance, notably Chris Warren’s softball program and Tom Sawyer’s girls’ basketball teams.
“I never thought about politics until I retired,” said Devin. “One of the main reasons I’m running is that I have a lot of time to put into this job. I’m going to treat it like a full-time position. I’m 61 years old and I’ve lived in this ward my entire life. So, I think this would be a perfect job for me to represent all of the residents of Ward 7 because of my connection here.”
Devin said he grew up on Blakeley Street in Lynn and his father, Bill Devin Sr., has lived there for 56 years.
“Jack O’Donnell was our city councilor from Blakeley Street, and two doors down from Jack was Pat Coppola, who was also in government,” recalled Billy Devin Jr.
“About 30 years ago, my wife, Lynne, and I purchased a home on Blakeley, and we raised all our children here.”
Devin said he attended Lincoln Thompson School, Breed Junior High, and Lynn Classical. His wife grew up on Deer Park in Lynn, and attended Tracy Elementary, Breed Junior High, and St. Mary’s High School. She spent her high school years living in the King’s Lynne Apartments, also in Ward 7.
Devin has been vigorously knocking on doors for the past several weeks during his campaign.
“People have been asking me, ‘Why are you running?’ “I tell them that one of the things that is important to me is public safety. I see first-hand how hard the police officers and the firefighters work in this city. My son, Brandon, is a police officer, and I’m tremendously proud of that.
“School resources, youth organizations, and elder services are very important to me, and obviously a big issue now is affordable housing. It’s very difficult for younger people starting out on their own, trying to afford a home or even to rent an affordable apartment,” said Devin.
He pledged to focus on constituent services in his ward. “Trees, lights, trash pick-up – I feel a big part of the job is helping people with the things that they need,” said Devin Jr.
An excellent athlete who played college baseball at North Adams State College with future Major Leaguer Ken Hill, Devin said his first campaign for office has been “a positive experience.”
“I’ve met and run into a lot of people that I haven’t seen in the ward in a long time, so the whole thing has been positive,” said Devin. “I look forward to engaging voters in discussions about the issues, and it would be an honor to serve on an esteemed body like the Lynn City Council.”