Joseph A. Solomon, 44, Arlington’s newest Select Board member, takes the 62 bus to work — at the MBTA, where he is director of business process. “I know my bus driver,” he said in an interview with YourArlington. This Q&A aims to provide glimpses of the person behind the elected official.
Who inspired you growing up?
Dave Winfield [the 12-time All-Star]. I played baseball for Arlington Red Sox, and I wore a Sox shirt and Yankees hat. I graduated from Arlington High School in 2000, played piano in Jazz Band, led by [another inspiration] Sabato “Tino” D’Agostino.
How would you describe yourself?
I’m a curious person. I like to dig into things. I like to understand how things work and make them better. Look at a factory floor and make it better. That curiosity was stirred at Arlington High: “How does the world Work? How does government work?”
Those questions led to higher education.
Yes, a degree in industrial engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a master’s in business administration from Boston University.
When did public service arise?
In 2021, when my kids started going to Dallin. The Covid pandemic had put great strain on the PTO. I had worked on Safe Routes to School and decided the PTO would have to be more of a fund-raising org. [The Precinct 16 Town Meeting member was president from 2022-24. He has also served as vice chair of the town Capital Planning Committee.]
As a longtime resident of Appleton Street, you were involved in public concerns about safety on Park Avenue following a 2025 incident and a 2024 fatal accident there. What’s the latest?
Park Ave. redesign drawings will soon come to the Select Board.
The town’s commitment is not to have an override for three more years. Can town officials lobby the Legislature to make adjustments to Proposition 2½, the 1980 law limiting tax increases?
I’m aware of efforts in this direction from the city of Boston and the Mass. Municipal Association. I support the Arlington Select Board pursuing this. [YourArlington covered this issue in November 2025.]
What is a key challenge facing the Select Board?
It’s hard to tell what 47,000 people want. Providing guidance to Select Board goals is the new master plan, called AmpUp! I don’t think we’re going in two separate directions.
This news profile was published on June 17, 2026.
