John Lawn
Title: State representative for the 10th district of Middlesex and an agent with Coldwell Banker
Age: 43
Experience: 10 years in real estate, 8 years in politics
After more than a decade in the financial services industry, John Lawn decided to dabble in real estate. But it was the stork that kept him in the game. When his wife became pregnant with triplets nine years ago, Lawn decided to open his own brokerage in order to give himself a job with the necessary flexibility. And that lead to a whole new career for the Watertown native, as his greater involvement in his neighborhood and town blossomed into a second career in politics. Banker & Tradesmen met with him to discuss his unusual career path and his recent decision to close up his own shop and join Coldwell Banker.
Q: Did you always envision going into politics someday?
A: I went to Merrimack College and majored in political science – but I never thought I would do anything with it. I worked at Fidelity for 11 years [ending my time there] as a trader on the stock exchange. When the market blew up in 2000, the stock exchange was really cutting back. So I said to my boss, if they’re doing another one, I’ll go, because I’m looking to get out of here and do something different. So I kind volunteered to get laid off … I left there [in 2002], and I started doing real estate with a friend in Watertown, someone I had grown up with.
I did that for a year, and I got a job offer from Fidelity to come back – and that’s when I found out my wife was expecting triplets. With the Fidelity job, I would have been out a lot, entertaining, leaving early in the morning, and that wasn’t going to work with my family. And I was really enjoying the real estate, and doing okay with it. So I decided to open up my own real estate business, and I thought if I could just get through the next couple of years – I mean, I couldn’t even afford to put them all in day care, there was just too many of them; I had five kids under four.
So I did that, and that’s how I got involved politically. There was a controversy in town about where to put the new police station. Everyone agreed we needed a new one, and there were three sites in town [being considered]. One was in my neighborhood, where I’ve lived my whole life, and I ended up getting involved, started going to some meetings. And then I ran for office. My kids were getting older, too, they were in school, and I had a business in town, so I was getting more involved in the town in general. And I ended up doing three two-year terms on the town council.
Q: What made you decide to take the leap into state politics?
A: Well, in my fifth year [on the town council], the sheriff of Middlesex passed away and the governor appointed Peter Koutoujan to the sheriff’s office, and there was a special election for Peter’s seat. It was a long shot [for me] to get into the race – it was more of a Waltham seat. There were nine precincts in Waltham, three in Newton, and only one on Watertown. I was fortunate that the stars aligned.
Q: C’mon, it can’t be just luck. How’d you pull it off?
A: [Chuckles.] You know, I had called a good friend of mine who’s a state rep in Brighton and told him I was thinking about running, and he goes, “I wouldn’t do it …John, there’s no way you can win. You’ve got 7 percent of the district in your town. I just don’t want to see you, as a friend, waste your time and money.” But there were certain things in my favor … I had a strong base of support, and in special elections it’s all about turnout. I had to stay close in Waltham and Newton, and I was able to do that, and this precinct really cranked out for me. Under most circumstances I couldn’t have done it.
Q: Did you find it difficult to balance? A lot of people find that running their own business is plenty to keep them occupied, never mind raising triplets and being a politician.
A: Well, that’s part of the reason I moved to Coldwell – when I get busy, it’s difficult to keep up. I don’t have a lot of support, running a small business. On the other hand, real estate matches up well with politics in some respects – a lot of the job is on nights and weekends. I need to work – I could never survive on a legislative salary. I need to hustle; I’ve always worked a few jobs.
I remember, when I started at Fidelity I was stuffing envelopes. I had a temp job. My first week, I had zero money in the bank, zero money in my pocket. I had an American Express card and that was about it. I had to buy lunches two at a time to get over the $10 dollar minimum at the cafeteria. I was catching rides with my buddy into town in the morning. Well, on Friday he calls me and says, “Hey, there’s some guys here who want me to play softball with them after work, do you mind catching the bus home?” And I say yeah, no problem. I then realized, as it got closer to the end of the day, that I didn’t have any change for the bus. And I knew they didn’t take American Express.
I didn’t know anybody at the office, it was only my first week on the job, and I didn’t want to introduce myself, “Hi there, I’m the new big shot who doesn’t have money for the bus.” So I walked home.
Q: That’s a hike. You must have ruined your new shoes.
A: It wasn’t too bad. My feet were bleeding a little bit. So there ya go. My humble beginnings.
Top Five Favorite Things About Watertown:
- The Charles River. “I like to be near the water.”
- The neighbood. “I’m comfortable here, I’m surrounded by good people, and that means a lot to me. More than a bigger house.”
- High school basketball
- Demo’s. The best Greek restaurant in town.
- Fitz’s Bar & Grill
