Former MassBike Executive Director Named as Arlington Redevelopment Board State Appointee

ARLINGTON, MA — Governor Charlie Baker named a new state appointee for the Arlington Redevelopment Board (ARB) on Sept. 28, the Town of Arlington announced Tuesday.

Baker has appointed David Watson as the state appointee for a two-year term on the ARB. According to a letter from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, Watson will be responsible for establishing and monitoring achievement goals for the Board, establishing policy, ensuring the integrity of the authority and more.

"Furthermore, he will be responsible for ensuring the integrity of the authority, maintaining good community relations, supporting pro-active economic and community development and advocating for the use of smart growth principles,” the letter read.

Watson is the Principal of WatsonActive LLC, and was instrumental in establishing policies to promote bicycling and walking in Massachusetts, according to the announcement. He currently serves as the co-facilitator of the Built Environment Community of Practice of the Massachusetts Partnership for Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention.

He has served on the Massachusetts Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, the Healthy Transportation Compact Advisory Council, the GreenDOT Advisory Group and the DCR Urban Paths and Parkways Committee.

The former MassBike executive director has a JD with a concentration in Advocacy from Cornell Law School and a Bachelors of Management Science from MIT. He is a licensed attorney in Massachusetts and the District of Columbia and is a registered lobbyist in Massachusetts.

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