Tag: Tackey Chan

Wicked Local @Eli_Sherman Here we go again. He wouldn’t comment on whether the citizenship question adds any value to the census, but Behler told Wicked Local that mistrust in government was already a challenge before the question was even introduced. Population growth in Massachusetts over the last decade means the state isn’t likely to lose a congressional seat once the census count is complete in 2022. “In this environment, there’s a much more elevated distrust in government than what I’ve seen in the past.” The mistrust could translate into lower participation in the census, especially among immigrant communities, which is concerning to local and state officials. In Massachusetts, federal funding directly affected by census data in fiscal 2019 includes $290 million for special-education grants, $244.4 million for Title 1 grants to local education agencies and $79 million for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, along with many other programs, according to the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center. In 2010, the last time the census was taken, a half-million temporary workers were hired by the Census Bureau to collect the outstanding information. Behler expects it will require 350,000 workers in 2020, and the hiring process has already begun. “Being in the business of being the CEO and mayor of the city, dollars matter,” said Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch at the kickoff event. According to the Donahue Institute at the University of Massachusetts, the number of people living in the Bay State grew 4.8 percent to 6.8 million between 2010 and 2017, representing the largest increase among Northeastern states. How much politics play into the process in Massachusetts, along with the government’s ability to accurately count a distrusting population, will ultimately be answered over the next few years, and municipal leaders are not blind to its significance.

Asian-Americans in Massachusetts have run for mayor (Sam Yoon, Boston), and some have even won (Lisa Wong, Fitchburg). But Congress? Just take a look at the Democratic field in the Third District: Three out of the 10 candidates are Asian-Americans — Beej Das, Dan Koh, and Bopha Malone. The Third is a sprawling district northwest of Boston, encompassing 37 cities and towns, including Lowell, home to the nation’s second-largest Cambodian-American community. In 2010, a trio of Asian-Americans won state representative races: Democrats Tackey Chan of Quincy and Paul Schmid of Westport and Republican Donald Wong of Saugus. More have since joined their ranks on Beacon Hill: Republican Keiko Orrall of Lakeville and Democrat Rady Mom of Lowell. Then there’s Republican state Senator Dean Tran of Fitchburg, who won a special election last year. And if you need proof we may have reached a critical mass, how about this: In one Lowell race, there are two Cambodian-American candidates — Sam Meas and Rithy Uong — who are running against Cambodian-American incumbent state representative Mom. “Growing up, I never imagined that I would one day meet an elected official, much less see someone like me be in politics and involved in politics,” said Wu, who is supporting Koh in his congressional bid. “It’s a watershed moment for our community to have three very qualified candidates running for Congress,” said Wing, a Boston political organizer and fund-raiser who is backing Koh.