I met up with Diana Hwang today at dumpling cafe and the first impression you get when you meet her is how REAL she is.
We actually had a pretty candid conversation about why she is running, Chinatown, and where she's coming from.
First off, I new she was not from here. She actually grew up in Texas. In the old tribal Boston this would be a problem in politics. But Michelle Wu is from Chicago. And tell the truth, Boston is changing, and our leaders need to reflect that.
Diana may not have been born in Boston, but she is an insider on Beacon Hill. She worked as an aide to Debby Blumer who to be honest, I had never heard of because I don't pay much attention to local politics. But Debby Blumer was one of the original authors of the Affordable Care Act. Sadly she passed away while Diana was working for her, so Diana actually ran her office for 6 months.
Oddly, even though Debby Blumer had passed away, her name couldn't be taken off the ballot or something weird like that and she still came in third in the next election. Pam Richardson, won the election on a write-in.
The point is, Diana has been up there on Beacon Hill. If elected, she knows the lay of the land.
But in terms of getting the job in the first place, she needs our help. This is a competitive race. There are a lot of candidates running for this open seat. Diana has a lot going for her. Endorsements from Sonia Chang-Diaz and Linda Dorcena Forry, two people she will be working with.. but also from Paul Travaglini, brother of former State Senate President Robert Travaglini. But if you really want her to win you have to do more than just vote. You may have ties to Chinatown but you don't necessarily reside in this district. I don't. That means you have to help get the word out.
Not only to vote for her... but WHEN to vote.
Now.. I'm from here, I speak and read English and I even keep my ear out for stuff to write about for the blog., but that doesn't mean I know that much about local government. In fact, I didn't even know about this election on April 12th
And this election is pretty important for Chinatown and the surrounding area. I mean how many elections are held in April? There might might not be that high a turnout so every vote will really count.
Everyone is talking about the Presidential election. I'm not saying your vote doesn't matter for that. It does, in a way. But Massachusetts will most likely go to the Democratic Candidate whoever it is.
But in this LOCAL election your vote will really count. And local politics are going to effect your day to day life.
Will everyone in Chinatown vote for Diana just because she is Asian? Of course not.
But the fact that she is Asian, that's what has me interested as a blogger, and the more I learn about the district being represented (my old stomping grounds...) the more intrigued I become.
The more I found out about Diana, the more I see a candidate I want to push for personally.
Now newspapers and Chinatown organizations have to be fair. It would be good if this blog was fair and had contributors supporting other candidates as well. But this series of posts on Diana will be my endorsement. But not only that. I'm working on her campaign and I hope you will help get the vote out too. And as it turns out the other contributors to the blog are also working on her campaign as well.
You'll see why I think this is such and important election and why Diana is such an important candidate post by post. My reasoning is not necessarily what you might think. I'm sure the other contributors have their own personal reasons and it would be great to hear their perspective as well.
The most obvious thing? Yes she is an Asian woman. A YOUNG Asian woman, that is qualified and can get stuff done. So if she wins... she will be successful up there.
Well more to come on that. I wrote up a more detailed post for the Sampan. Maybe they'll print it, but maybe they already have an interview with her.
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