User:BostonUrbEx/Brian M. Arrigo

Brian M. Arrigo is the mayor of Revere, Massachusetts.

Early life
Arrigo, born and raised in Revere, graduated from Revere High School. His father, John Arrigo, had served as Revere's Ward 5 City Councillor and was also formerly President of the Paul Revere School PTA. His mother, Paula Arrigo, also had a career in civics with her 15-year tenure as a kitchen coordinator at the Revere Housing Authority. Brian graduated from Suffolk University in 2004 with a degree in Government. In October 2014, Arrigo married Daveen Balliro and in October 2015 their son Joseph John Arrigo was born.

Political career
Following his formal education at Suffolk University, Arrigo spent a number of years working with local governments, most notably under Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone. Arrigo was elected to Revere City Council in 2011 and served two terms as Councillor.

In 2015, Arrigo challenged incumbent Revere Mayor Dan Rizzo. The election was held on November 3, but Arrigo was not declared mayor-elect until December 29, following a recount on the request of Rizzo. Arrigo was inaugurated on January 4, 2016.

Gambling in Revere
Being host to Suffolk Downs and Wonderland Greyhound Park, gambling has had a major impact on Revere's history and more recently has been a major theme of political discourse in the city. Arrigo's predecessor, Dan Rizzo, was a proponent of a proposed casino at Suffolk Downs. When a state gambling commission did not select the proposal as one of a limited number of casino sites, it has been suggested that voters placed blame for the failure on Rizzo, securing Arrigo's mayoral bid.

Arrigo had been a staunch opponent of a later proposed slots parlor near Suffolk Downs, and believed the city’s future is no longer tied to gambling. Arrigo spent substantial political capital to defeat the slots parlor proposal in a local, nonbinding referendum and scored a resounding victory when voters rejected the proposal by a 2-to-1 ratio in October 2016. The following month, a statewide referendum calling for the slots parlor in Revere was soundly defeated.