By THOMAS GRILLO
George Meimeteas is challenging City Council President Darren Cyr for the Ward 3 seat on the 11-member panel.
“I decided to run for office again after seeing our city’s financial problems impact the citizens of Lynn with no relief in sight,” he said in a statement. “It’s time for voters to address these problems.”
Cyr is seeking his sixth term. Calvin Anderson, a member of the Lynn Historical Commission, had pulled papers to run for the seat. But at the last minute he decided to endorse the incumbent’s re-election bid.
Meimeteas, a real estate agent at Boston Signature Homes in Swampscott, ran unsuccessfully for councilor-at-large in 2009 and 2010.
“As a homeowner and taxpayer, I have concerns that our taxes are out of control,” he said.
As a former member of the the Lynn Council on Aging’s board of directors, Meimeteas said seniors on a fixed income cannot afford tax increases.
If elected, he vowed to implement a plan to attract and retain new businesses as a way to augment the city’s finances. He did not provide details.
With the additional businesses, he said, Lynn will benefit from an increase in commercial tax revenues, help balance the budget, ensure public safety, and take the burden off homeowners.
“We need solutions, not new taxes,” he said. “It’s time to move Lynn in the right direction and it starts in the voting booth.”
Thomas Grillo can be reached at [email protected].