American politician
Brian Paul Golden (born February 2, 1965) is an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1999 to 2004 and was the director of the Boston Planning & Development Agency from 2014 to 2022.
Early life
Golden was born on February 2, 1965, in Boston. He graduated from Boston Latin School, Harvard College, and the William & Mary Law School. He served in the United States Army from 1993 to 1996 and has been in the United States Army Reserve since 1997.[1] His position in the Army was with the JAG Corps.[2] His military awards include the Bronze Star Medal for service in Iraq and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for service in Jerusalem and the West Bank.[3]
Political career
In 1990, Golden was an unsuccessful candidate for the Massachusetts House of Representatives seat in the 19th Suffolk district. His career in the state legislature was interrupted twice when he was deployed into war zones. In 2001 he was deployed to Bosnia and then deployed to Iraq in 2005.[4]
He finished second in four-candidate Democratic primary behind Susan Tracy and ahead of Steven Tolman and John J. McLaughlin.[5] From 1999 to 2005 he represented the 18th Suffolk district in the House.[1] He broke with his party by opposing abortion and gay marriage.[6] He endorsed Republican George W. Bush in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. He also assisted with the Bush campaign's 2000 recount efforts in Florida.[7] In 2005, Golden was appointed commissioner of the Department of Telecommunications and Energy by Republican Governor Mitt Romney.[8] He also served as New England's regional director for the Department of Health and Human Services, where he worked with states on federal Medicaid waivers to expand health insurance.[9]
In 2009, Golden became the Executive Director/Secretary for the Boston Redevelopment Authority when he was appointed by Democratic Mayor Thomas M. Menino.[10] He became head of the agency (later renamed the Boston Planning & Development Agency) in 2014 when Peter Meade departed.[11] His focus at Boston Redevelopment Authority was to improve transparancy and support economic development.[12] In 2019 he was a finalist for CEO of the Massachusetts Port Authority. Boston Port Director Lisa Wieland was chosen over Golden by a 5 to 2 vote.[13]
In 2020, Golden announced the creation of the BPDA's first Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI).[10]
Golden left the BPDA in 2022. His eight-year tenure as Director was the longest in the agency's history.[14] He was also Commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy and a Non-Executive Director at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston.[3]
During his tenure, the BPDA approved some 10,000 new income-restricted residential units.[15]
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