Daniel Rivera transitioned from Lawrence city councilor to mayor after a bitter campaign that ended in a recount 81 votes in his favor. And, when he took office on Jan. 6, he hit the ground running. He had to.
Goodwill, hope, safety- these are the things Rivera hopes people will see in his city, but in recent years the Lawrence has developed a reputation for its problems rather than its potential.
In an interview with Under the Radar host Callie Crossley, Rivera said he's been working on breaking down silos between municipal departments and is first tackling the perception of crime in the city.
"To me, the street safe stuff is so much more important because kids who go home to violent environment or to a crime-ridden environment can't learn in school. No one's going to bring their business to the city of Lawrence if they think their car is going to get broken into. No one's gonna come and eat at a restaurant downtown if they think their car is getting broken into. This is like a building block. We have to have the best disciplined, most effective crime fighting department in the state of Massachusetts."
Lawrence lost $15 million in state aid over a period of six years during the recession, and Lawrence's police force was impacted in a big way. Rivera said he's trying to bulk up his police force without raising taxes with the goal of adding an additional seven and 10 police officers to the city's force each year.
"If I gotta lay off two clerks to keep a cop, I'm gonna do that," he said.
Listen to Callie Crossley's full interview with Mayor Rivera above.
