Watertown's John Lawn Kicks-off Re-election Bid for 10th Middlesex Seat

Having been in office for about 10 months, Watertown’s John Lawn is preparing to run for a second term for the 10th Middlesex House seat, which represents parts of Waltham, Watertown and Newton.

“I’m enjoying it,” said Lawn, who replaced Peter Koutoujian and . “There has certainly been a learning curve. And, I continue to stay involved in local issues, in the district which I live.”

The state budget is among the top priorities for Lawn, a former Watertown Town Councilor.

“I am going to continue to work on economic developments,” Lawn said. “I think we are getting positive reports from the house budget on local aid. That’s positive because it keeps communities running.”

Lawn said he is pushing for reforms to the child sexual abuse laws, an issue that has come to the forefront in Waltham.

“I am working to remove the statute of limitations,” Lawn said. “It is an issue that is important to my district.”

Efforts have been made to change the law for about a decade, but this year for the first time the bill moved out of conference committee to be considered by the House, Lawn said.

Making improvements to the Charles River Path, both in Watertown and Waltham, another priority for Lawn. The area along the river near Pleasant Street in Watertown and into Waltham needs to be cleaned up, Lawn said, and access must be improved.

The river itself needs improvement, too, he said.

“The areas where lily pads are overgrowing, I am working with DCR to have them remove them so the river doesn’t dry up in that area,” Lawn said.

Lawn will hold a campaign kick-off event on Wednesday, April 18 at in Waltham from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.