City of Whitewater Announces Hiring of Mason Becker

The City of Whitewater is pleased to announce the hiring of Mason Becker as the new Economic Development Director, who brings extensive municipal
leadership and development experience to his new role.

Becker’s professional background includes substantial expertise in owner-occupied
housing development projects, subdivision planning, Tax Increment District (TID)
management, and downtown redevelopment. Notably, he led negotiations and finalized a development agreement for the Rock River Ridge subdivision, adding nearly 200 new housing units in the City of Watertown.

Becker also served as Executive Director of the Watertown Redevelopment Authority and chaired the Main Street Task Force, helping to guide planning efforts in preparation for the 2028 Main Street reconstruction project.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Becker has a strong record of public
service. He served five terms on the Fort Atkinson City Council, including multiple years as Council President. During his tenure, he played a key role in forming the city’s Economic Development Commission and guided land acquisition and annexation efforts to support new housing opportunities.

Becker is a proud graduate of UW-Whitewater and holds a Master of Public
Administration from UW-Oshkosh.

Editor’s note: In his new role Becker is following former Watertown Mayor Emily McFarland, who served for the past several months as Whitewater’s interim economic development director. An article in the Daily Jefferson County Union on August 14 provides further background on him. Becker indicated that McFarland was his direct supervisor in Watertown for over two years. He also mentioned that his commute from Fort Atkinson will be cut in half, and since his wife happens to work at UW-Whitewater, they might be able to catch lunch together occasionally.

Becker reflected that “Rock River ridge was a major milestone for the community. We were able to pull together three different developers all offering different housing-product types. We were able to move that forward by working with the Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation. I think that is going to be an incredibly transformative housing project for the entire city.”

“You have to have a clear vision for what your city is going to be,” he said. “It’s bringing together key stakeholders to bring forward that vision for what you want your community to be in the future. I’m proud of how we’ve been able to engage with different stakeholders during my time serving the community….”

Becker will be introduced to the Community Development Authority Board of Directors at their regular meeting this Thursday.