[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 6 (Monday, January 11, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E24-E25]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN HONOR OF MR. DAN RIVERA OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LORI TRAHAN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 11, 2021

  Mrs. TRAHAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the leadership and 
legacy of a great leader and friend, Mayor Daniel ``Dan'' Rivera, who 
will retire as the 59th Mayor of the City of Lawrence, Massachusetts. 
Mayor Dan Rivera is leaving his second four-year term in office early 
to become the President and CEO of MassDevelopment; the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts' finance and economic development agency.
  Mayor Rivera was born in New York City to a single mother who 
emigrated from the Dominican Republic in search of a better life for 
her family. His mother moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts to find work as 
a seamstress in the area's mills, and it was in Lawrence that Mayor 
Rivera was raised and began his career as a public servant.
  After graduating from Lawrence High School, Mayor Rivera enlisted in 
the United States Army and became a Military Police Officer, serving in 
Germany, Iraq, and Kuwait. After his multiple tours overseas, Mayor 
Rivera returned home to attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 
Indeed, he became the first person in his family to graduate from 
college--something that he and I have in common.
  Prior to being elected as the City's mayor, he worked tirelessly to 
improve the growth and economic development of the Merrimack Valley for 
its residents. As an economic development director for Congressman 
Marty Meehan, Mayor Rivera continued to bring critical investments to 
his hometown and communities across the Merrimack Valley.
  Not long after, he was elected to the Lawrence City Council where he 
served as the Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee. He provided 
key leadership in adjusting the City's budget in order to restore key 
services and personnel. Then-Councilor Rivera worked to diversify the 
Lawrence Police Department by making it a majority-minority department 
with 53% of the officers making up individuals of color and tripling 
the number of women on the force, more accurately representing the 
people of Lawrence.

[[Page E25]]

  In 2013, he was elected as the City's mayor. Over the last seven 
years, he has led Lawrence through two major crises--the 2018 Merrimack 
Valley natural gas explosions and the COVID-19 pandemic. Time and 
again, he has demonstrated his leadership and dedication to the 
residents of the great City of Lawrence.
  The Merrimack Valley gas explosions forced thousands of families to 
flee the area, damaged and destroyed dozens of homes, left many 
businesses with considerable financial losses, and tragically took a 
young man's life. Throughout that period, Mayor Rivera led with purpose 
and empathy in every decision he made to get the City on the path of 
recovery, while fighting to ensure the community received all necessary 
support and resources. He has been a close ally as we successfully 
advanced the Leonel Rondon Pipeline Safety Act. This legislation will 
ensure no community ever faces a disaster like this one again, becoming 
law in December of 2020.
  Just as the City of Lawrence was recovering from the natural gas 
explosions, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Lawrence has been among the 
hardest hit communities in the Commonwealth by the pandemic, 
disproportionately impacting its large population of Black and brown 
residents. With the utmost transparency in communication, Mayor Rivera 
consistently urged the community to maintain social distance, enacted a 
city-wide eviction moratorium to protect renters, created two Emergency 
Small Business Relief Programs designed to help the Lawrence businesses 
and immigrant entrepreneur communities as they work to get back on 
their feet, and diligently collaborated with the State and Federal 
governments to set up testing sites around the city.
  Mayor Rivera's leadership and hard work has been recognized by 
various organizations. He was awarded Masslnc.'s Mayor Bill Carpenter 
Award for Excellence in Gateway City Leadership in 2020, and in 2018 
was recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential People of Color in 
Greater Boston by Get Konnected.
  Through his many years of service, Mayor Rivera has made the City of 
Lawrence a better place to call home. Thanks to his efforts, the City's 
future is bright, and I join Lawrence residents in thanking him for his 
dedication to this incredible community.

                          ____________________