LYNN — City Council President Darren Cyr has announced that Lynn resident Joselyne Reynoso will serve as his campaign manager for the upcoming mayoral race.
Reynoso, 21, is the first Guatemalan-American woman to run a campaign for a candidate in the city of Lynn, according to a statement provided by Cyr’s campaign.
A native of Beverly, Reynoso spent her childhood in Lynn and graduated from Classical High School. She is currently attending the University of Massachusetts-Boston, where she is pursuing a degree in political science.
Her parents are originally from Guatemala, but later emigrated to the United States, and are now homeowners in Lynn. Reynoso is one of five siblings.
“I am proud of my heritage and am fluent in both Spanish and English,” Reynoso said. “I have grown up in Lynn, my parents own a home in Lynn and my siblings also received their education in this city.
“Lynn is my home. While speaking with Darren, I learned that he and I seek the same things for Lynn. We both want our hometown to thrive, be more inclusive, and have a better reflection of the people of Lynn through inclusivity.”
Reynoso previously served as a volunteer for the Global Embassy of Activists for Peace, where she advocated for, and taught about, the topics of human rights, environmental justice and human values. She is the vice president of Youth Without Borders in Lynn, where she has worked with its president and founder, Dulce Gonzalez, to create a strategy plan for youth volunteerism before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of those efforts included organizing food drives, collecting donations with SkillsUSA of Lynn (a chapter at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute), and assisting non-English speaking Lynn residents with their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), unemployment and P-EBT (Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer) applications.
Through a grassroots campaign, Youth Without Borders also collected financial contributions that were then given to Lynn families during the pandemic.
Reynoso also spent time volunteering at The Salvation Army, My Brother’s Table, and other efforts during the pandemic. She has experience working for the Guatemalan Consulate as an interpreter, where she served hundreds of families in Lynn.
Cyr, who announced his candidacy for the corner office in March shortly after Mayor Thomas M. McGee said he would not be seeking re-election, said Reynoso brings a bright, young new voice to the table.
“I trust that Joselyne’s combined experience, talent and background will be a tremendous asset to my campaign and she will serve as living proof and (an) example that millennials and centennials should continue embracing and developing their talents in the political world,” Cyr said. “I look forward to working alongside her in the next several months and after I am hopefully elected mayor of the city of Lynn.”
Reynoso said she believes Cyr is a candidate who will not only listen, but will show that he means what he says by putting a woman of color at the head of his campaign team.
Juan Gonzalez, a longtime Lynn resident who received the Lynn City Pride Award by the Greater Lynn Chamber of Commerce for his continuous leadership and community advocacy, said he is looking forward to the leadership Reynoso will bring to the table; he believes her contributions will supplement and augment Cyr’s years of community and governmental experience.
“Lynn is a city that has over 45 percent of Latino residents and I believe this is a better reflection of the population during election season,” Gonzalez said.
Cyr is one of three candidates who have announced their intention to run for mayor. School Committee member Michael Satterwhite kicked off his campaign on Monday night; Jared Nicholson, another School Committee member, is planning a virtual campaign kickoff scheduled for May 12; and Cyr plans to host his event on May 22 at his headquarters on Andrew Street.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected].