BOOK YOUR POST IT Call Your T HE L YNN J OURNA L Advertising Rep (781)485-0588 Thursday, July 19, 2018 GOLDEN FLEECE LODGE OF MASONS IN LYNN Karin McCarthy named new executive director of the Lynn Chamber of Commerce Journal Staff Report Lynn Area Chamber of Com- merce Chairman Rick Wood has announced that Karin McCarthy has been selected as the new exec- utive director of the organization. Cyan “We’re excited to have a new executive director,” Wood told the Magenta Lynn Journal. “Karin has a great background, and we’re looking Worshipful Small collected over 500 pounds of pull-tabs, along with other members, from churches, camp- forward to her beginning in her grounds, libraries and the general public. Proceeds from the weight of the tabs, fund the transportation of leadership position in the Lynn Yellow burned children and their families worldwide, to the Shriners Burn Hospital in Boston for free medical care. Area Chamber of Commerce.” Karin McCarthy. Families served just in this past year we're from England, France, Vietnam, Thailand, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil Wood said that close to 40 can- and Mexico. The pull-tab collection efforts are one of the many charitable endeavors that Masons through- didates submitted applications for Black the job. out the world participate in to support the betterment of those in need. Pictured (L to R): Past Masters, LACC has selected Karin McCa- “We had several outstanding Worshipfuls Richard Knowlton, Herbert French, Leon Small and Past Potentate of the Aleppo Shrine Wor. rthy as the new Executive Direc- candidates, and Karin was the one Theodore Polonsky. tor of the Lynn Area Chamber of who rose to the top of the list,” Commerce. said Wood. Karin joins the Chamber after Wood was joined on the selec- working as the Vice President of tion committee by former LACC Administration and Finance for Chair Teresa Evangelista, former Lynn City Council votes to give Solutions Review and LeadSpark, Chair John Olson, Vice Chair Inc., a marketing services tech Tom Dill, Treasurer Joseph Sci- company, located in Marblehead Munroe Street project tax break antico, human resources profes- sional Eve Gonzalez, and LACC Please see McCARTHY Page 7 Interim Director Peter Colarusso. By John Lynds Hong Net, and Jay Walsh voting Mayor Thomas McGee and Ox- against the measure with LaPi- ford Residential Partners, LLC, McCarthy will start as LACC executive director following the There are two schools of erre saying he could not bring allows the city to fullt tax the Labor Day holiday. She suc- thought on the proposed multi- himself to “offer an incentive of commercial part of the mixed use Next week ceeds Leslie Gould, who left to million dollar project at 34-38 that magnitude in the city’s diffi- development while gradually in- become the executive director of Munroe Street. cult financial times”. creasing the residential property the Greater Beverly Chamber of One side agrees that while the While City Councilor Dianna tax over a seven year period. The Commerce. BLUE city needs to borrow money, raise Chakoutis, whose ward the proj- residential property tax would Following is the letter sent to fees and increase taxes in order to ect is located, voted in favor of begin at 15 percent of its assessed Recycling week LACC members announcing the close a budget shortfall—this is the TIE arguing that while the tax value starting in 2020 and then selection of Karin McCarthy as For more info. call the not the time to give a developer a break would save the developer increase in increments until it executive director: Lynn DPW at tax-break incentive to get a mar- around $2.5 million in property reaches 100 percent of the as- Dear Valued Members: ket rate housing project off the taxes over seven years it would sessed value. McGee’s office ex- 781-477-7099 I am pleased to announce the ground may not be now. still bring in $5 million in addi- pects the tax revenue to be $1.35 The other side feels the $80- tional taxes for teachers, the fire million yearly after 2027. $90 million, mixed-use commer- and police departments and street The site on Munroe Street, cial and residential project will repairs for the city. Councilor that is currently being used as help jumpstart economic growth Chakoutis said the $90 million a community garden, would be and bring viability to downtown investment in downtown is per- transformed into a 10-story, 261- Lynn and the city. haps the biggest private invest- unit building with 20,000 square Despite these two opposing ment in the city in the past half feet of ground floor commercial views the Lynn City Council vot- century. and restaurant space, according ed 7 to 4 to award developer Ox- The state’s TIE program al- to Lynn Economic Development ford Residential Partners, LLC a lows Gateway Cities like Lynn to and Industrial Corporation Exec- tax break on the project as part negotiate with private developers utive Director James Cowdell. of a Tax Increment Exemption to provide them with tax incen- Echoing Councilor Chakou- Agreement or TIE. tives to develop housing while tis’s sentiment Cowdell called the The vote saw City Councilors sparking economic growth. Peter Capano, Brian LaPierre, The TIE, negotiated between Please see MUNROE Page 2 2 Page 2 THE LYNN JOURNAL Thursday, July 19, 2018 editorial REVERE BEACH SAND SCULPTING FESTIVAL This weekend marks the 15th annual International Sand Sculpting Festival on Revere Beach. Thousands of Revere residents, as well as hundreds of thousands of visitors from throughout the Boston area, will flock to America’s old- est public beach to view the works of art from 15 sand sculptors from all over the world who will compete to win the top prize. Every year, this event only seems to get better. The weekend-long celebration that starts this Friday and runs through Sunday also will feature many activities on the beach and will culminate with fireworks on Saturday night. With more than 350 tons of special granite sand brought in last Friday from Hudson, New Hampshire, the festival will embrace the theme of “Celebrating Liter- a c y.” This year’s festival will feature Cirque du Soleil Luzia performing at noon on Saturday. There will also be over 20 food trucks and several live bands performing throughout the festival weekend. The Revere Beach Partnership and sponsors are to be thanked or their months of work in preparing for this years events. Black Hours for the 2018 Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Fes- tival on Friday, July 20, and Saturday, July 21, are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, July 22, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free and open to Munroe// CONTINUED FROM 1 the public. It is recommended to use the MBTA and public transpor- tation to and from the event vote to grant the TIE ‘historic’ and called the project a signifi- If the weather holds, then the estimated 1,000,000 spectators will cant step that will greatly impact not be disappointed! the economic future of the city by attracting more people to the downtown area. The Independent Newspaper Group reserves the right to edit letters for space Cowdell said a ground- and clarity. We regret that we cannot publish unsigned letters. Please include breaking on the development is your street and telephone number with your submission. The Independent scheduled for either late 2018 or Newspaper Group publishes columns, viewpoints and letters to the editor as early 2019. a forum for readers to express their opinions and to encourage debate. Please However, not everyone was note that the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of The Independent happy with the vote. Newspaper Group. Text or attachments emailed to [email protected] The volunteer communi- are preferred. ty-based organization, Lynn United for Change, has been circulating a petition against the An architectural drawing of the proposed project at 34-38 Munroe Street. The council voted 7 to 4 last week to grant the developer PRESIDENT: project and members showed Stephen Quigley up to last week’s Council hear- a tax break on the project as part of a Tax Increment Exemption ing with signs in protest. The Agreement or TIE. EDITOR IN CHIEF: Cary Shuman [email protected] group says that while it does not PHONE 781-485-0588 // FAX 781-485-1403 not oppose development they don't want to see Lynn residents EMAIL: [email protected] forced out of their own neigh- to give this tax break is disap- to see more and more people ac- borhood due to and oversatura- pointing,” the group said in a tively demanding better...No to DIRECTORY tion of market rate development statement after the hearing. “And exclusive buildings just for the Advertising & Marketing Business with no affordable housing tied it’s absurd that a decision like rich, no to gentrification, no to this was made so suddenly, with displacement and yes to inclu- Director of Marketing Accounts Executive to development projects. With Judy Russi no chance for public comment. sion of affordable units in new Debra DiGregorio the Munreo Street project at 100 percent ‘market rate’ the group But we’re glad to see a growing development, yes to respecting ([email protected]) Editorial argues that projects like this one number of councilors doing the and protecting Lynn’s working Assistant Marketing Directors Page Design, Copy Editing may create segregation in the right thing and standing up to class and low to moderate in- Maureen DiBella Scott Yates city.