Commissioner, Governor Patrick’s Asian American Commission

— Awards:

• Eisenhower Fellowship (2012)

Reason for Seeking Public Office:

My father emigrated from China 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 and in business, and it's what drove me to want to become a part of my community, eventually running for City Council in Cambridge. Since being elected, I've earned a reputation as one of the most progressive and productive members of the Cambridge City Council. Now I want to take the lessons I've learned about growing the innovation economy and creating jobs and apply them to cities and towns across the Commonwealth.

In 2009, I ran for the Cambridge City Council was 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.

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.

These are fundamental issues of equality, and of ensuring that all parts of our Commonwealth have the opportunity to succeed. How can our students compete with their classmates, let alone children from around the world, if they can't look something up on Wikipedia at home? 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.

Ultimately, I'm running for Lieutenant Governor because 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 six-month old daughter of my own, I understand better than ever what he must have felt. I feel the pressure to make sure that my child has even better opportunities than I had.

- Leland