From the Comment Section: The Daily Item

In a recent Daily Item article, there was discussion about Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy was looking to the federal government for assistance with the influx of unaccompanied minors moving into the city of Lynn and entering the school system. On the online version of the paper, what has come to be typical Item commenter remarks on this sort of topic were made including the following by user concerned56786:

Now Connery School is having a night for parents where they will tell these people about services in Lynn and where they get can get help. This will be at the cost of people who are required to pay taxes. We know these people are not paying anything. Teachers are required to be there to assist. Translator will be around as well. Come on, do we have to give these people all these services?

FACT CHECK: This remark, however, is not entirely accurate. Yes, the Connery School is hosting a resource fair for community members, but this fair is being sponsored by the Lynn Community Association (LCA), not the city or school system. Furthermore, teachers will be on site, not because they are required to assist with the fair, but because this event is being held the same night as Connery's parent-teacher night; if translators are present, it is likely for this reason as well. Additionally, this event is open to all in the community (even non-immigrants and those who pay taxes).

The 2012 LCA Resource Fair will be held at Connery Elementary (50 Elm St) on Tuesday, October 23 from 6 - 8pm. Admission is free for all. For more information, see: http://lynncommunity.org/?p=693

From the Comment Section: Lynn School Watch

Lest there be too much positive sentiment about Lynn's trajectory in the wake of last night's Chronicle episode about the city, I found this comment on the local blog Lynn School Watch regarding the episode from an anonymous user:

"I am sick of paying the already high taxes in this deteriorating city due to the incompetence of the so-called leaders! Did anyone see Chronicle last night? What a joke and misrepresentation of Lynn! I didn't hear anything mentioned about the crime rate, rat problem and failing school system this city has!"

Given that the episode was only a half hour, was the Lynn special a total misrepresentation of the city? Did the producers gloss over some glaringly obvious areas that need to be improved?


Some negatives left out of the Lynn discussion:

• Trash/Rodent Problem
• School System (standardized test score performance, condition of school buildings, overcrowding, graduation rates)
• Unemployment Rate/Educational Attainment
• Criminal Activity
• Number of Abandoned Properties/Foreclosed Homes
• Neglect of Some Public Areas (sidewalks, parks)

One also has to consider the intent of the feature. Perhaps, Chronicle was not attempting to give a complete overview of the city and its current state but simply highlight many of the positive changes that are occurring in the city as a way to combat the belief that there is nothing good about the city.


There were also many positives left out of the episode as well:

• Easy Access to Public Transportation/Proximity to Boston
• Dedicated Community/Neighborhood Groups (ex. Lynn Community Association, Goldfish Pond Neighborhood Association, Downtown Lynn Neighborhood Association)
• Distinct Neighborhoods (Highlands, Diamond District, etc.)
• Youth-Related Organizations (LYSOA, Part of the Solution, No Ceilings Youth Group)
• The Ford Full-Service Community School 
• Multiple Ponds (Goldfish, Flax, Sluice, Breeds)
• High Rock Tower/Park
• Lifelong Multi-Generational Lynn Families

Thoughts on the Chronicle feature?

You may also be interested in:

• Positivity is adding up in Lynn (Revitalizing a Community)
• Positive Drips of Revitalization Adding up Daily (Revitalizing a Community)
• A Slum by Any Other Name (Lynn-side Edition)
• Lynn Education Attainment Data (An Education)
• 9 Inches of Rat (Lynn-side Edition) 
• Lynn Grads Post an Impressive List of Post-Secondary Achievements (An Education)
• Lynn Police Department 2011 Annual Report
• Neighborhood Upgrades - A New Series (Lynn-side Edition) 
• Lynn MCAS Results 2012: Part I (An Education)

From the Comment Section: The Daily Item/The Daily Item Facebook Page

In the September 13 edition of The Daily Item, there was an article highlighting some of the developments in the works for the city of Lynn as presented by Lynn EDIC Executive Director Jim Cowdell.

Here is one comment left on the web version of the paper by user TamLee:

"Unfortunately, until this city cleans up it's major issues with gangs, drugs, prostitution and violent crimes?  Build it all you want - no one will come.  That thinking was proved wrong with the gorgeous artists lofts built...it didn't draw the urban city dweller as was originally thought.  Why? Because people are still afraid to buy here because of the above issues we have with crime.  Which is truly, truly sad.  Spend some money on more police presence throughout this city at all times in ALL areas.  Get ICE in here - we need a major clean up that way FIRST!!"

The Daily Item's Facebook page posed the following question in regard to the same article: Do you think Lynn will ever be redeveloped into a thriving destination city? Here's what some commenters said:

"Not unless you're cchanging [sic] the name to Little Puerto Rico....What's the point of patronizing the businesses if you can't speak the same language???"

 "I hope so, thay [sic] way someone will buy my house when it goes up for sale so I can get far far away from here"

 "Not in this lifetime!"

In a second article, also in the September 13 edition, Dr. Barry Bluestone, director of the Dukakis Center of Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University and founding dean of Northeastern's School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs laid out a strategy for successful growth in Lynn's economic development. This story sparked some debate as well with commenters saying the following:

"Uh .. right ! Not buying this at all ! Infrastructure Infrastructure Infrastructure ! Lynn is a dump site and not one person has turned it around ! Time to stop talking and start doing ! forget about this ferry stuff and extend rapid transit to Lynn ! Folks are not just paying high prices for their living quarters, but also quality of living ! LYNN LACKS JUST THAT .. QUALITY OF LIVING ! drugs .. prostitution .. trash .. no quality retail .. no upscale dining .. no upscale entertainment [tired of the Lynn Arts] .. etc ! Give me rapid transit in and out of Lynn to Boston and quality living and maybe I will spend my Boston earnings in Lynn ! Until then .. stop the jokes "

"Mr Bluestone misses some of the obvious reasons why Lynn is dying including not only high crime, bad schools and a waterfront that has not been developed for over 30 years. Here,s [sic] another rhetorical question. If the answer to improving Lynn is so obvious why has it taken so long to make these changes?"

"All very good points and kudos to Lynn area Chamber of Commerce for requesting this study, however what we need to do first is get rid of the crime,get rid of the drug dealers, get rid of the gang bangers, and get rid of people who throw their garbage all over our streets. I doubt that Mr Bluestone ever walked the streets  of downtown Lynn (alone) after dark. Make downtown Lynn safe to shop in (it was once) and people will return. As far as GE goes, most of the people making the top wages move out of Lynn, and don't shop here or have any interest here either. If you take a look at any photos or videos of parts of Detroit it looks like post WWII Germany with nothing but wreckage of it's proud past still standing. If we don't do something now, that's where Lynn is heading very rapidly."

Why all the negativity from Lynners about the city's prospects?

From the Comment Section: The Daily Item

The Daily Item seems to have a never ending supply of interesting comments to highlight here. On the August 16th article 'Lynn's plan for a new middle school advances,' a discussion in the comment section ensued about the lack of attention directed at Pickering Middle School which, like Marshall, is also falling apart structurally. One commenter remarked rebuilding Marshall was not fair while his/her children, "who live in the ward that pays the majority of the city's taxes [Ward One] will have to sit in the windowless basement rooms of the moldy Pickering Middle School." This sparked debate about some who continue to note the amount of taxes that the residents of Ward One pay compared to the rest of the city with the particular belief that this entitles them to more services or benefits. Some noted that other areas of the city are more densely populated than Ward One and may in fact contribute more in property tax; others were not buying this as some of these areas largely consist of renters as opposed to homeowners. User 'reggiecleveland' remarked:

The landlords pass their tax expense to the tenants, who are on sec 8, which gets paid by the working class, which is all of Ward 1. So they get to pay for the schools twice.

Just an FYI 'reggiecleveland' - not all renters in the city of Lynn are on Section 8 or other forms of assistance. Furthermore, there are multi-family units in Ward One which may very well be occupied by some Section 8 recipients.

This commentary is not all that surprising given some of the negative sentiment some Lynners have expressed toward renters who, apparently in their opinion, do not contribute as much to their communities as homeowners. See:

• Developer changes Lynn plan from housing to industrial
• Zoning board nixes Parrot Street condos

 Is this a common opinion among home owning Lynners? Do renters contribute less to the city?

From the Comment Section: The Daily Item

In the August 7th edition, of The Daily Item there was an article entitled "Mayor: Cable TV spot touting Lynn to air nationally." In it, the article describes how the Discovery Channel and Cable News Network will broadcast promotions featuring Lynn this fall and will describe how Lynn "has evolved into a great place to live, work and play.” The TV advertisement were paid for with $19,800 in taxpayer funds. As of early August 8th, there were already 43, mostly negative, comments on the story with many noting the amount of money spent on this advertisement when there are perhaps more important things on which the city could potentially be spending its funds. Below is just one example from user Thomas61:

So she is just going to go on national TV and lie about what Lynn has to offer? I wonder is she going to be truthful about the smelly beach, the woods where dog owners let their dogs lose to crap all over and jeopardize people's safety because the owner has deemed their dog friendly, the opposition to any development, the stabbings and shootings that plague downtown even during the day or the many other wonderful things Lynn has to offer? So just more people getting deceived to waste their time and their hard earned vacation? I just believe she is more interested in getting her face on national TV. We need a Mayor not a celebrity perhaps she should change her profession. Funny we can't rid the city of rats because it costs too much yet we have enough for this bull .

Is nearly $20,000 too much to spend on promotional TV spots for the city? Given that they are advertisements, will the promos give a true sense of the current state of Lynn or will viewers be deceived even in the slightest bit?

From the Comment Section: Lynn School Watch

It's interesting to read some of the commentary left on local blogs or the itemlive.com about issues related to the city of Lynn. Some of the comments reveal common sentiments about the city while others are questionable or incoherent at best. The following is a comment left on the local blog Lynn School Watch in response to an anonymous poster who made a statement about potentially selling her house due to dissatisfaction with the management of the city's public school system:

Sound like a good idea, but good luck selling your house. What's the selling pitch going to be for potential buyers?

Lynn's a rat infested city

It's run poorly by politicians only looking out for themselves and a mayor who hasn't done anything to improve it

It has some of the worst schools in the state and one of the lowest school districts in the state which is also run by politicians only looking out for themselves and a mayor who has not done anything to improve it

The property taxes are extremely high and continue to increase while the assessment of your home continues to decrease. And your hard earned tax dollars go into the pockets of those politicians and not to improve the city or schools

There is a huge influx of immigrants (many illegal) that continue to come to the city because of all the subsidized housing this city provides and the endless benefits this state provides to them

The crime and gang activity is everywhere throughout the city, even in the 'good' areas (although some claim it has decreased)

It is because of these reasons and so many more that you will either not be able to sell your house, or you will not get what you want or need for it. This city is a cesspool!

Is this a common opinion among Lynners? Is Lynn really a 'cesspool'?


You may also be interested in:

• A Slum By Any Other Name (Lynn-side Edition)
• 9 Inches of Rat (Lynn-side Edition)
• Because We've Come So Far - A Little Public Shaming (Living in Lynn)
• Thinking About School Choice in the Context of the Lynn Public School System (An Education)
• It's Beautiful Out... Guess We Should Go to Salem? (Downtown Lynn)