Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera in his City Hall office. (Jesse Costa/WBUR) Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera has set his resignation date for Jan. 8. That means the city of Lawrence must now hold a special election. The city council would need to hold a special election within 90 days of Rivera stepping down, according to city ordinances. The winner of the election would serve the remainder of Rivera's term. However, the city council may seek to bypass the special election with permission from the state. Rivera would be entering the final year of his second four-year term leading the city. He is leaving his position to become CEO and president of the state's development arm, MassDevelopment.