Report: Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera In Line To Head MassDevelopment

LAWRENCE, MA — Gov. Charlie Baker is expected to nominate Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera to lead MassDevelopment Thursday, according to a report.

The Democratic mayor, an ally of the Republican governor, would succeed Lauren Liss as CEO of the semi-public development and finance agency, State House News Service reported. The agency helps finance housing, cultural and business development.

Rivera's nomination will be presented to the agency's board at a meeting Thursday, according to the report. They will then vote to make him an offer, the details of which are unknown.

Rivera is entering the final year of his second four-year term. In 2018, he crossed party lines to endorse Baker's bid for re-election, and he currently sits on the governor's Reopening Advisory Board.

Patch reached out to Rivera's office and will update this story when we hear back.

Rivera grew in prominence in the wake of the Sept. 2018 Merrimack Valley Gas Explosions, blasting Columbia Gas for its slow response and poor communication. In 2019, he urged a judge to reject a proposed settlement, arguing more money should go to the explosions' victims, rather than the class action lawyers.

The accident killed one, injured 22 and damaged 131 structures across Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, as well as taking gas service offline and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of homes.

According to his city biography, Rivera was born in New York to a Dominican immigrant single mother. His family moved to Lawrence, where he attended Lawrence Public Schools before enlisting in the U.S. Army.

Rivera was deployed to Iraq and Kuwait during the First Gulf War. He then attended UMass College and earned an MBA from Suffolk University. Rivera was elected to Lawrence City Council in 2008 and as mayor in 2013.

MassDevelopment finances projects as well as owning and developing properties itself. The agency also administers a number of state economic development funds.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.