An Interview with Mayor Jared Nicholson 

One of the roles of the North Shore Alliance is to stay on top of what’s going on economically within our state and region. To do this, it is helpful for us to connect with state and local leaders to get a better sense of where we stand as a state and region, in regard to community and economic development. 

In a recent North Shore Conversation, a weekly radio show produced by the North Shore Alliance for Economic Development and hosted by Laura Swanson, we had the opportunity to chat with Mayor Jared Nicholson of Lynn, Massachusetts. 

Who Is Jared Nicholson?

Jared Nicholson is a first term Mayor of Lynn, having been elected last November and taking office in January of this year. He is no stranger, however, to Lynn or the North Shore of Massachusetts.  

He attended local public schools as well as Princeton and Harvard where he attained his law degree and went on to become a Law Professor at Boston’s Northeastern University. As a member of the Lynn School Committee for three terms, he has had ample opportunities to learn about the needs of the Lynn Public School system and put that to good use as handling school issues is a major part of being mayor of the city. 

Additionally, Mayor Nicholson founded a Legal Aid Office in Lynn, with the mission to help the underserved low income residents who may have legal issues and need assistance in court. 

Top Issues Facing Lynn 

Mayor Nicholson told host Laura Swanson that there are several priorities and issues that he is working on for his constituents. Housing, jobs, and transportation are at the top of his list. He, along with other municipal leaders in the area agree that these issues are not siloed but should be looked at as a whole. 

Jobs

In terms of jobs in Lynn, there are opportunities to tap into the boom in Life Sciences that our region is currently seeing. Boston is the capital of Life Sciences industry and Lynn has both the workforce and manufacturing space available to become a leader as well. Between Lynn’s skilled and educated workforce and manufacturing capabilities, Lynn can seize this opportunity and make the most of it in the jobs sector. 

Some of the ways that Mayor Nicholson has been working toward this is by taking steps to improve the city’s Readiness Designation for the Life Sciences community. Lynn has moved from Silver Readiness to Gold, and now stands at Platinum. 

Additionally, Lynn has launched a partnership with BioConnection New England through Northeastern University. 

Housing 

One of the priorities that Mayor Nicholson is working on is countering the rapid rate of rent increases. As he explains that rent is increasing in Lynn and around the country at a record rate. He realizes that he and other leaders must work with companies that are struggling to maintain a workforce since too many people can not afford to live where they work. A steering committee is currently working with Harvard’s Kennedy School to examine this issue and potentially tap into the job growth and housing programs to make Lynn a more affordable place to live. 

Transportation 

Tied in with jobs and housing is the priority issue of transportation. One of the top issues that Mayor Nicholson is working on is the electrification of the commuter rail. Not only will this be better for the environment, but also for the reliability factor and the ability for more people to take transit buses from neighborhood to neighborhood as is badly needed in the North Shore area. 

For a full interview click this link to hear more of what Mayor Nicholson has in store for the future of Lynn, Massachusetts.