Patriot Ledger 'Representation is important.' Challenger announces bid for Quincy School Committee
'Representation is important.' Challenger announces bid for Quincy School Committee
Peter Blandino
- Tom Leung, a Quincy resident and father, is running for the Quincy School Committee.
- Leung is campaigning on a platform of inclusion and representation, particularly for the Asian American community.
- A key issue for Leung is the addition of Lunar New Year to the school calendar, a measure that has been rejected by the current school committee for years.
QUINCY ‒ In the basement of Quincy Center's Dimmock Building, Wah Lum Kung Fu students cultivate discipline and hone their fighting skills. But last Friday, an audience assembled on the studio mats for a different kind of fight − a fight for change on the Quincy School Committee.
Tom Leung, a financial analyst and father of three Quincy Public School students, launched his campaign amid symbols of Chinese culture, including the famous lions that spring to life every Lunar New Year to perform their celebrated dances.
The symbolism is apt. Putting Lunar New Year on the school calendar is high on Leung's list of priorities. Community activists have pushed unsucessfully for school closure on Lunar New Year for four years.
The three incumbents who are up for re-election if they choose to run − Tina Cahill, Douglas Gutro and Emily Lebo − all voted against closing schools on Lunar New Year last spring.
"For a city like Quincy, where nearly 40% (of the student body) is Asian, it's disappointing to say the least that elected officials, our school committee members, failed to respond to that demographic for four years," Leung said.
"(Proponents) have done everything the right way to try to engage in good-faith discussion on why it's important and why it should be added, and for four years it's been denied," he continued. "So, yeah, it is a part of why I am doing this."
Cahill, Gutro and Lebo did not respond when asked by email if they plan to run for re-election.
Who is Tom Leung, and why is he running for school committee
Leung moved to Houghs Neck when he was in fifth grade, attended city schools and graduated from Quincy. He now lives in Quincy Center with his wife, Thuy Leung, and their three children.
"That's a big part of why I'm doing this," he told The Patriot Ledger. "I went through the system myself. My kids are currently in it. I need the system to work."
After high school, Leung studied economics and political science at Tufts University. He entered the investment sector while taking night classes at Northeastern University, where he earned his MBA. He now works as a financial analyst for Brown Brothers Harriman in Boston.
Leung has never run for office, but he said the current moment calls for someone with his unique experiences and skills.
"My kids are in the system now, and they have many years to go," he said. "I'd rather it be me evaluating the information and making these decisions. I'm competent, qualified and would do a good job at that."
Leung's campaign is rooted in the immigrant experience
Leung's wife, Thuy, made headlines last year through her efforts to make Haitian refugee children feel welcome with teddy bears in Quincy after neo-Nazis rallied outside their shelter at Eastern Nazarene College. She introduced her husband by talking about their shared experiences growing up in Quincy.
Thuy came to the United States as an immigrant refugee from Vietnam. Tom is the son of Chinese immigrants who arrived by way of Hong Kong with limited English proficiency.
Both had to navigate high school, college admissions and the financial aid process more independently than typical students who can rely on parental support. However, teachers and guidance counselors assisted both on their journeys, she said.
"It taught us that success isn't just about individual effort," Thuy Leung told the audience. "It’s about a community lifting each other up. That’s why Tom is running."
Leung's speech emphasized this point.
"Talent is found everywhere, but opportunity is not," Leung said. "Every child that goes through our school system has talent that needs to be identified, cultivated and matched with opportunity."
Given Quincy's large foreign-born population and linguistic diversity, Leung's story is far from unique. It's important for someone who has lived that story, he said, to represent the community on the school committee.
"I believe representation is important," he said.
Peter Blandino covers Quincy for The Patriot Ledger. Contact him at pblandino@patriotledger.com.