My father immigrated to Massachusetts in 1969. What he found here was different and unique from everything he had previously known. He became determined to instill in me the same appreciation he felt for the freedom and opportunity that America offers. It’s what drove me to work hard in school at Stanford and later Harvard and MIT, in the private sector as a venture capitalist at Masthead Partners investing in technology start-ups, and it’s what drove me to want to become a part of my community, eventually running as the first Asian American candidate for City Council in Cambridge. Since first being elected in 2009, I’ve earned a reputation as one of the most progressive and productive members of the Cambridge City Council. I’ve remained committed to maintaining a style of responsive and innovative leadership, promoting justice and equality by supporting measures to expand the rights of women, immigrants, and LGBT members of the community, partnering with local innovators to make Government more accessible, and ensuring that Cambridge remains a city built on a foundation of community input – one that listens to the suggestions, criticism, ideas, and beliefs of its constituents. I ran for the Cambridge City Council because no one was talking about how we can work together to make the innovation economy work for everyone. I don’t mean just talking about attracting companies or creating jobs, but how to ensure it helps everyone in the community – people with PhDs, two-year degrees, and GEDs. Everyone needs to have access to the tools and the training to invest in their own futures. As a member of the Executive Committee of the Democratic State Committee, and as Governor Patrick’s appointee to the Board of our state’s economic development agency, I’ve seen that the same issues I’ve been tackling in Cambridge are the same opportunities and challenges we face across the Commonwealth today. The residents of Massachusetts deserve a growing economy that doesn’t just provide opportunities for those in Boston and Cambridge, but for everyone across the Commonwealth. I’m running to take the lessons I’ve learned about giving residents access to the economy of tomorrow and creating careers – not just jobs – and apply them across the Commonwealth. These are fundamental issues of equality, and of ensuring that all parts of our Commonwealth have the opportunity to succeed. That’s what I want to tackle as your Lieutenant Governor. This November, Massachusetts is going to face a choice and we’re going to face a tough fight to make sure we stay on track. Will we keep making progress and building on Governor Patrick’s legacy, or will we go backwards?
Charlie Baker’s a better candidate than he was last time around, and it’s going to be a tough fight. However, he’s still peddling the same ideas and the same failed policies. His biggest legacy is still the Big Dig financing scheme, which set us back decades in terms of investments and infrastructure that we desperately need. These policies of the past will not set Massachusetts on a path for growth. To succeed, we need to double down on the investments in education, infrastructure, and innovation that Governor Patrick has made and that I’ve been working with him on. I’m running for Lieutenant Governor because I have the background and experience to help carry forward Governor Patrick’s vision. From my experience in the private sector, to my accomplishments in Cambridge, to the work I’ve done with Governor Patrick expanding the innovation economy; I’m the only one with the vision to make sure the economy of tomorrow doesn’t just benefit a few people in the right zip code, but everyone in the Commonwealth.When my father came to Massachusetts in 1969 he didn’t dream of making a better life for himself – he dreamt of building a better life for his children. Now with a nine-month old daughter of my own, I understand better than ever what he must have felt. I feel the pressure every parent feels to make sure all our children have even better opportunities than we had.