Lynn City Council

09/10/2026

LYNN — While it has been almost 50 years since lead-based paint was banned for residential use in the United States, it is still present in homes throughout Massachusetts. The Lynn Housing Authority & Neighborhood Development (LHAND), working in partnership with the federal government, continues to provide property owners and tenants with the resources to quite literally get the lead out.

On Wednesday morning, LHAND announced the kickoff of its sixth Lead Abatement Grant Program, through which tenants and owners can apply to have their units de-leaded at no charge. In this round of grant funding, LHAND received $6.6 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, bringing to more than $25 million in total funding LHAND has obtained since 2010.

The federal grant is awarded approximately once every four years, according to Jeff Weeden, LHAND Director of Planning & Development.

Weeden said LHAND has completed the de-leading of 850 units, with 400 children living in them, across the city with the federal funding that has been received to date. With this latest round of HUD assistance, the agency will de-lead an additional 250 units over the next four years, protecting another 400 children against the danger of toxic lead paint. Weeden said 41 units have already been approved for de-leading under the new grant.

“We know lead poisoning is one of the most significant threats to children,” Mayor Jared C. Nicholson said at a ceremony at Goldfish Pond Wednesday. “We need the government to make investments into addressing the problem, but we also need agencies on the ground doing the work. We have exactly the right team. LHAND has earned the trust of the people administering this program to help families avoid this risk.”

LHAND Executive Director Charles Gaeta credited the mayor’s office, city council and state delegation with prioritizing housing issues and bolstering his agency’s efforts.

“We have an old housing stock in the city,” Gaeta said. “We were the first housing authority to require certification from property owners that units are lead-free. Housing has been a major emphasis for the city and our state partners, and this grant program is aligned with that.”

Under the Lead Abatement program, both owners and tenants fill out an application to have a unit de-leaded. There is an income threshold, but only for the residents of the unit, not the property owner. When an application is approved, LHAND draws from a list of approved contractors to do the work. LHAND Neighborhood Revitalization Specialist Don Werner coordinates the agency’s oversight of the process. Families can also receive up to $7,000 in Healthy Homes funding to address other issues in their unit. LHAND received a total of $750,000 from HUD for this purpose in this round of funding.

Weeden said the location for the kickoff event was appropriate because there are seven properties in the immediate vicinity of Goldfish Pond that have been approved for funding totaling almost $100,000.

For more information on the Lead Abatement Grant Program, visit https://lhand.org/program/lead-abatement-healthy-homes/

LYNN — While it has been almost 50 years since lead-based paint was banned for residential use in the United States, it is still present in homes throughout Massachusetts. The… Related posts: Lynn creates relief fund for those in need LHAND awards scholarships to 53 Lynn seniors Lynn recognized ...

09/09/2026

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙇𝙔𝙉𝙉 𝘾𝙄𝙏𝙔 𝘾𝙊𝙐𝙉𝘾𝙄𝙇 𝙄𝙎 𝙇𝙊𝙊𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙇𝙄𝘾𝘼𝙉𝙏𝙎 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝐋𝐘𝐍𝐍 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 as a Commissioner:

The Lynn Human Rights Commission is now accepting applications for (1) Commissioner position (This is a Lynn City Council appointee). Applicant are expected to commit to a monthly meeting and sub-committee meetings. We invite volunteers with sincere passion to advocate for human rights and experience with this topic to apply. The goal of the Lynn Human Rights Commission is to build relationships within our diverse community to promote civil rights, inclusion and mutual respect. We aim to utilize legal means to ensure protection, address unlawful discrimination and provide education about human rights in the City of Lynn. We are looking to have a full commission to achieve these goals. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠@𝐥𝐲𝐧𝐧𝐦𝐚.𝐠𝐨𝐯

Deadline to submit application is Sept. 30, 2026. APPLY NOW!

09/09/2026

09/09/2026

Coverage from Boston 25 News on Lynn’s flock cameras- https://www.facebook.com/share/1C5VcRxDnh/?mibextid=WC7FNe

09/09/2026

Big parade in Lynn on September 20th!

🇺🇸 HONOR OUR VETERANS & FIRST RESPONDERS! 🇺🇸

12 Days to go!!!

Join the Lynn MA Veterans Council for the North Shore Veterans & First Responders Parade on Sunday, September 20 at 1:00 PM!

🇺🇸 LET’S FILL WESTERN AVENUE!
Line the route, bring your family and show your support! Watch anywhere along Western Ave. from Centre Street to the Reviewing Stand at Lucia Lighting & Design, 311 Western Ave.

🚒 After the parade, join us at Manning Field for a Touch-a-Truck event!

📅 Sunday, September 20
⏰ 1:00 PM
🌧️ Rain Date: Sunday, September 27

Bring your family. Bring your flags. Show your support!

Questions? Call the Lynn/Swampscott Department of Veterans’ Services at 781-586-6911.

🇺🇸 Please share and help us FILL WESTERN AVENUE!

09/09/2026

LYNN — The Police Department has reduced the amount of time images captured by the city’s license-plate readers are stored from 30 days to seven and will conduct mandatory monthly audits following the discovery of potentially improper searches by two officers.

Police Chief Christopher Reddy outlined the new safeguards Tuesday during a meeting of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee. The council also voted to hold a public hearing on the city’s use of Flock Safety cameras at an upcoming council meeting in October.

The department has also restricted access to the system, which was previously available to every Lynn police officer, including through an application that could be used on their personal cell phones.

“The Flock system has an app, and officers could access it on their cellphones because we don’t issue cellphones to our officers,” Reddy said. “They oftentimes use their own phones out in the community when they’re doing their job. So that’s another area that we’re addressing.”

Access is now restricted to 23 members of the department with the rank of lieutenant or higher. Reddy said any future expansion would occur only at the police chief’s direction and under specific criteria.

“I don’t envision us ever going back to department-wide usage,” he said.

The changes follow an audit that uncovered what the department previously described as a “concerning pattern” in searches conducted by two Lynn officers. Both have been placed on paid administrative leave while the department conducts Internal Affairs investigations.

A Swampscott officer has also been placed on paid administrative leave as that department investigates possible misuse of Lynn’s system. Swampscott does not have its own Flock cameras, but its officers have been authorized to access systems operated by partner communities for active investigations.

Reddy declined to discuss the searches in detail because the investigations remain ongoing. He acknowledged, however, that Lynn’s previous auditing practices were insufficient.

“In the past, I think that the audit systems weren’t effective enough,” Reddy said.

The department began evaluating Flock’s automated license-plate reader technology in late 2021 and installed 15 cameras in early 2022. Ten more were later added after a September 2023 drive-by shooting on Essex Street exposed gaps in the system’s coverage, bringing the city’s total to 25.

The cameras are primarily positioned near city entry points and in high-traffic areas. They capture images of the rear of passing vehicles and their license plates, not the faces of drivers or passengers, according to Reddy.

The department’s investigation began after it implemented Flock’s Audit Assist tool on Aug. 12. The tool identified anomalies that prompted a more extensive review.

Audit Assist reviewed searches dating to Jan. 1, Reddy said. Investigators were then able to examine the department’s own records further back as part of the ongoing investigations.

The system maintains a log showing the license plate searched, the officer who conducted the search, the reason provided, and the date and time, Reddy said.

He said the department generally contacts the registered owner of a vehicle if a search involving the plate becomes part of an Internal Affairs investigation.

Under the revised policy, searches will generally require a case number. Reddy said exceptions may be necessary during emergencies or investigations originating in another community, such as when Boston police alert Lynn officers that a vehicle connected to a shooting is headed toward the city.

Any search conducted without a case number will automatically be flagged and must be reviewed by the department within a day, he said.

The captain of administration will serve as the system’s primary audit administrator, with an Internal Affairs lieutenant serving as a backup. Authorized users will also be required to acknowledge the department’s license-plate reader policy in writing.

Councilors questioned Reddy about how the department intends to rebuild trust among residents concerned about surveillance and possible misuse of the cameras.

“We cannot be effective in the public-safety realm without having trust in the community,” Reddy said. “We ran the new tool. We saw anomalies. We investigated them, and we initiated an Internal Affairs investigation.”

Reddy said the department reported the officers under investigation to the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.

The department also plans to establish an online transparency portal containing its license-plate reader policy, the agencies with which it shares information, and the types of incidents that generate alerts. Reddy said Lynn limits data sharing to Massachusetts law-enforcement agencies.

Councilors raised concerns about the cost residents could face when seeking Flock records through public-records requests. Reddy said the cost depends on the breadth of the request and the amount of labor required to review and redact the records.

He agreed to provide the committee with a written explanation of how Flock deletes information once Lynn’s seven-day retention period expires and how the department verifies that the information has been removed.

Despite the concerns, Reddy defended the technology’s value as an investigative tool. He said Flock cameras have provided important leads in four Lynn homicide investigations, including a recent fatal shooting on South Common Street, as well as gang-related shootings, commercial burglaries, and hit-and-run crashes.

In one case, Reddy said, the cameras helped police identify the driver who fatally struck an older woman crossing Western Avenue. In another, officers located a vehicle about an hour after its driver struck and seriously injured a man turning into General Electric.

The system has also helped clear people who were incorrectly suspected, he said, pointing to an illegal-dumping investigation in which camera images eliminated one vehicle as a possibility and helped identify the vehicle involved.

Reddy said the department can preserve the cameras’ investigative benefits only if it maintains strict oversight and holds officers accountable for misuse.

“Trust and accountability — those are not just buzzwords to us,” Reddy said. “We owe that to the community.”

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09/09/2026

09/09/2026

LYNN — Two months after rejecting a proposed Administrative Code called for in the amended City Charter and put forth by Mayor Jared C. Nicholson, the City Council approved an amended version Tuesday night following additional negotiations between the administration and councilors.

The council voted 10-1 to adopt the code, with Ward 1 Councilor Dr. Pete Meaney casting the lone vote in opposition.

The Administrative Code, required under the City Charter approved in April 2025, establishes the city’s administrative structure and defines the responsibilities of departments, boards, and commissions. The council rejected an earlier version by a 9-2 vote in July amid concerns that it did not provide enough legislative oversight of city departments.

Nicholson said Tuesday that the new version reflected months of discussion and revisions intended to address councilors’ concerns.

“We’ve taken a City Hall structure that was rigid and lacking in accountability and turned it into a structure that’s more modern, nimble, and streamlined,” Nicholson said. “That increases accountability, which I think we all expect will lead to better results.”

He said the changes included removing language that had raised concerns, adding clarifications, and resolving several issues that had remained unsettled in earlier drafts.

Nicholson credited Councilors Jordan Avery and Natasha Megie-Maddrey with leading the council’s work on the revisions. He also thanked Council President Coco Alinsug, Vice President Fred Hogan, city staff, and the Law Department.

“We all, as elected officials in the city, represent the same people, and they are counting on us to deliver for them,” Nicholson said. “While most residents are not directly impacted by the Administrative Code, it is a means of achieving better city services.”

Avery, who voted against the earlier proposal, said the amended code was the result of repeated meetings between councilors, the mayor’s staff, and Assistant City Solicitor Maura Cronin.

“When the Administrative Code first came before us, it was not approved,” Avery said. “I made my position very clear. I said that if the mayor was willing to work with the council, listen to our concerns, and collaborate with us on a document that we would feel comfortable moving forward, I had no doubt that this council would do the right thing.”

The council’s previous objections centered on its ability to communicate with department heads, evaluate department performance, and preserve its authority over city ordinances. Councilors also sought a more direct role in developing a document intended to remain in place beyond Nicholson’s administration.

Avery said councilors did not abandon the process after rejecting the first proposal.

“We rolled up our sleeves, and we met with the mayor and his team numerous times,” he said. “We changed language, and we changed wording. We worked with our (assistant) city solicitor, Maura Cronin, and the feedback from the City Council.”

Although Avery acknowledged that no Administrative Code would satisfy every concern, he said the amended document represented a substantial improvement.

“Every Administrative Code is not going to be perfect, but this one is a lot better than it was,” Avery said before urging his colleagues to support it. “Let’s move the city forward.”

After the vote, Alinsug thanked Avery and Megie-Maddrey for the time they spent reviewing the document, recalling one evening when the two councilors were still working on it as late as 10 p.m.

The approved code will govern the organization and administration of departments under the mayor’s authority while outlining the responsibilities of the city’s boards and commissions. The city describes the code as the organizational framework required by Lynn’s revised charter.

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