As a newcomer to the political stage, Dan Rivera is taking on current Mayor William Lantigua in the November 5 Lawrence mayoral elections. Both mayoral candidates have thrown themselves into active campaigning, trying to attract as much positive political attention as possible.
Rivera, 42, who was born and raised in Lawrence, has strong ties to the Lawrence community. “I grew up here, I went to Lawrence High School class of 1989, I went to the Army right after high school,” said Rivera. After leaving the army, Rivera, sponsored by the G.I. Bill, studied political science at University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“Growing up here, we’ve seen so many crazy things happen. Crime rates go up and down; [there is] no sense of stability, property values stink, also the way people think of our school system is pretty bad,” River said in an interview at his campaign headquarters on Essex Street last week.
“We also have to get back to work. To me, the best youth program for me is an after-school job,” said Rivera. He worked in almost every fast food joint – except Subway – as a teenager. He hopes, as mayor, to provide youth with more work opportunities. “If we bring back industries to the city than we can get jobs for the youth and the constant preservation history here in town,” he said.
Central to Rivera’s campaign is his emphasis on improving public safety. “My number one issue is that we need to put more officers on the police force, we have 113 police officers and what we really need is 155,” he said.
Rivera would also like to see more events that would bring Lawrence together, and bring nonresidents of Lawrence into the city. “Most people don’t want to participate in most town events,” he said. He highlighted the annual Labor Day Italian Festival and Feast of the Three Saints as examples of past successful town events that were popular among residents and visitors. Rivera will look to build upon these precedents if he is elected mayor.
Rivera spoke about his contender, William Lantigua, and his refusal of most media interviews. “I tell people all the time, if you hide something, they think that there’s something wrong, and so if you give them the information and it turns out to be wrong then you can just say, ‘Oops!’”
Rivera is making quite a stir within of the city. Mary Guerrero, 52, is well-known for being both a long-time teacher in Lawrence and owner of both the El Taller bookstore and Café Azteca. Voicing her thoughts about the upcoming election, she said, “I’m voting for Dan because I think we need a change. He’s very involved in the community, and he has a Masters in Administration and he is a veteran.”
“We need a big change because Lantigua’s administration hasn’t done anything positive in the city,” said Sheila Barry, a 52-year-old former citizen of Lawrence, in support of Rivera.
