Democrat

I am from Germantown, grew up in North Quincy, attended Quincy Catholic Academy, Fontbonne Academy, and Hofstra University, and worked with my family to run a small business and operate several restaurants here and in the greater Boston area. I have served as a Quincy City Councilor At-Large since 2015, including a term as the City Council President. I currently serve as the Executive Director of Emerge Massachusetts, seeking to engage and elect more self-identified women to office and appointed positions.

My working experience and lived experience give me a unique perspective of the City, particularly as I have witnessed the trajectory of Quincy’s growth and the related positive and negative impacts. I know firsthand that we need a balance. For Quincy to be a thriving City, all of our residents must benefit from our progress.

Affordability; Traffic; Safety.

These issues intersect at smart development work that seeks to accommodate people of all incomes that want to come to Quincy to live, work and play. It’s not just about building structures, but also about the supporting infrastructure that accounts for accessibility, pedestrian, and public safety. Transparency is one thing; the real issue is engagement. As a City Councilor, I always seek to connect residents to our City departments in ways that feel safe and accessible.

Some past and present community activities include:

- Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women

- Thomas Crane Public Library Foundation

- Massachusetts Asian American Commission

- Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center

- Quincy Asian Resources Inc.

- Father Bill's

- South Shore YMCA

- Quincy Community Action Programs

- Interfaith Social Services

- Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center

Email; Phone; Social media.

Most importantly, I will continue to be present: Attending events, showing up for community meetings, making myself available to constituents. Being accessible as an elected representative has been a priority for me from the beginning and will continue to be moving forward.

One thing that makes me particularly proud is the way we have redefined campaign strategy and who to engage with across this work. Institutional knowledge tells candidates to play it safe and appeal to the same reliable voters to secure a win – generally an older, whiter electorate. Instead, we not only engaged with those who are typically active, but also those who are not - we registered new voters and jumped headfirst into communities who had not been engaged with before. That approach is the only way to ensure that all of those who call Quincy home feel seen and heard, and it continues to inform how I approach my work as a City Councilor.

I have begun an effort to reexamine citywide zoning codes to help Quincy create a more balanced mix of development that will open the door for more affordable housing opportunities for residents. This is a very concrete, high-level strategic approach that will impact generations of homeowners here.

I will continue the exact work I do now, ensuring that our municipal government is accessible with tools like translation and interpretation services, ADA compliance, and other language access programs. I’ll continue to collaborate with community organizations that advocate for minority communities in Quincy, ensuring that their voices are heard. And finally, I will continue to collaborate and engage with QPD to ensure active community engagement and cultural competence.

I view this as two separate conversations.

First, Granite Links has outstanding obligations under the existing active current lease that have not yet been fulfilled. That needs to happen first.

Only after that can we have a separate lease negotiation discussion. My preference is a lease with options to renew, and not a single 99-year lease.

We’ve done a lot! We’ve taken great steps towards city government use of electric vehicles, and I have been a vocal advocate for a new MBTA bus terminal to support an electric fleet of buses. Quincy has opted into a commitment to a Stretch Code, but I am particularly excited about our work towards meeting Specialized Stretch Code standards to inform future development. We can make progress with steps big and small.

I’ll reiterate my messages above related to transparency and accessibility in government. When I first ran for office, I was involved in the community but less so in government. Now I make it my mission to give others the opportunity to connect with local government the same way. We have an obligation to reach out and go to the places where people are. Residents need to get involved, but let’s make sure we’re keeping the door wide open for people to engage with us.

Campaign finance law dictates that I can only accept contributions from individuals. When donors make an investment in my campaign, they are investing in me and in the big table we set for all voices to be heard.

No

Yes

I am so proud to have spearheaded this effort and I am grateful for the support of my colleagues on the Council who agree that this is the right move for the City’s future.