Who is Dominican Brian de Pena, Lawrence’s mayor?

Dominican Brian de Pena was declared the winner of the mayoral election in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

De Pena ran his experience as an immigrant and entrepreneur, focusing on greater opportunities for local people and better economics, education rights, adequate income, work, housing and better nutrition.

“My job as your mayor is to explore the potential of mobilization to redesign Lawrence’s destiny. As an entrepreneur, I come with great benefits. Read an excerpt from the news.Posted on the website from Creole.

The beginning

Born in Santo Domingo, but raised in Michel, de Pena decided to settle in the early 1980s, he lived in New York and worked in construction companies, but it was not until 1989 that he moved to Lawrence. .

There, with the help of his father, he started his first business: “Brian’s Hardware”. According to de Pena, this is the first Latin hardware store located in the center of the city, where he began to build relationships with the community.

The business prospered little by little, giving it enough capital to acquire other commercial properties in the city.

Politics

Gradually, Brian entered the world of politics, which began with an interest in social causes, especially the Spanish-speaking Lawrence community.

This led him to join many socio-cultural organizations such as Hispanic Week, the Golden Circle Awards, the Dominican Parade, the Hispanic Chamber of Merchants and the Latin American Business Association.

In 2015, he formally took his first step into this world, and Lawrence began his candidacy as General Councilor, twice elected to that position, during which time he served on the Finance and Personnel Committees.

Personal life

Brian is married to Dylani de Pena and has seven children and five grandchildren.