Senator Dean Tran Formally announces campaign for Re-election
Leominster- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Saturday, August 15th at 11:00 am, State Senator Dean Tran formally announces his re-election in front of a packed audience adhering to social distancing and/or wearing facial covering in Monument Square.
The full transcript of the Senator’s announcement is below:
It is with great honor and pride that I announce my intention to run for re-election to the Massachusetts State Senate representing the Worcester Middlesex District.
I am a person of humble beginnings, and because of that, I have never taken your support for granted. I arrived in this District at the age of four, a refugee from Vietnam. I have called this place home ever since. My family and the people of this District taught me to work hard, be honest, and take care of those around me. And I have tried to live by those values. Through serving four years on the planning board, twelve years on the City Council, and two years in the State Senate, I have endeavored to give back to this community all that you have given me and my family, and more. Our special election victory in 2017 and re-election in 2018 was nothing short of historic. You made me the first Vietnamese-American elected to the Massachusetts Legislature, the first minority to be elected to the State Senate from my district, and the first and only Asian born-American in the State Senate. We did this with an R next to my name, in a progressive district, and a Democrat-controlled state, because the people of this District chose to see past mere party affiliation and put great value on the personal qualities of their representative. Today I ask you to send me back to Beacon Hill, not just because you helped me achieve the American Dream, but because there are many more in our District who can.
Since taking office, I have taken a common sense, bipartisan approach to Beacon Hill. I have been an active participant in the legislature, and I have worked hard to represent the district to deliver on all the promises that I have made.
I made a promise that I would support a comprehensive change to the funding formula that pays for public education. Education in this amazing country is the guiding light to fulfill the American Dream. The children in this country have endless opportunities and infinite potential, but we need to provide the proper education to lead them there. As a product of the public schools and a father of four children enrolled in public schools, I saw first-hand the need for reform and improvements in our education system and I acted. I co-sponsored bills to modernize the Foundation Budget for the 21st Century and the Student Opportunity Act to bring long-overdue changes to the way the Commonwealth funds our schools. As a result, schools in our District received unprecedented funding in my first term. Our children and teachers deserve the best, and if you send me back to the Senate I will continue to champion their cause.
As more of our students choose to pursue a college education, I acted to protect them. I voted in favor of a bill to protect our students from predatory loan servicers, establish a new unit in the attorney general's office to help students resolve complaints from predatory lenders and a consumer assistance unit within the division of banks to investigate those who violate financial regulations. These new laws will ensure that banks cannot take advantage of and harass our students.
Our children not only need the best education that we can possibly provide, but they also need protection. I made a promise to toughen the regulations on sex offenders and protect our communities, continuing the work I did on the Fitchburg City Council. So, on Beacon Hill, one of my first votes was to strengthen the Sex Offender Registry Board to be more transparent about those living in our towns and cities.
I have been a true supporter of public safety, well before popular terms like “police reform” were in vogue, I listened to the law enforcement community and worked hard with my Senate colleagues to create a fund to help establish a statewide training facility. I also worked to increase funding for safety gear and trauma services like On-Site Academy for our first responders who risk their lives every time they put on a uniform in order to provide us with the public safety, we all enjoy.
In light of the recent incidents involving law enforcement around the country, it is important, as it has always been, for us to continue to ensure that law enforcement is applied evenly and fairly in our Commonwealth. As a strong supporter of public safety, and your safety, I believe that any law enacted by the Legislature must involve transparency and dialogue from all stakeholders. It is essential that these laws appropriately address contributing factors and unintended consequences and for these reasons, I voted against a hastily written bill that attacked and discredited our law enforcement and all public employees, without the benefit of the public’s input. We must use common sense and I plan on supporting legislation that will address the root causes of injustice. But make no mistake, I support nothing that has a hidden agenda to interfere with your public safety or demean our upstanding members of law enforcement who risk their lives every day to keep us safe.
To be clear: to the officers at our correctional facilities, to the firefighters heading to a fire, to the EMTs transporting a patient, and to the police officers who are keeping our streets safe, you have a friend in me. I will continue to fight for you, I will continue to listen to you, and I will never be afraid to stand up for you no matter the political consequences.
I will also continue to proudly support our Veterans, who all too often are given short shrift after being paid lip service. Our Veterans deserve our respect and support and they will always have mine. I was proud to vote for the Brave Act which designates the 5th day of April as Gold Star Wives Day and the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mothers and Families Day, granting paid military leave for those called to duty for up to 40 days of training and operational preparations, and increases the burial expenses paid by the Commonwealth for indigent Veterans, as well as other financial assistance. As a member of the Veterans Committee, I will see to it that they are well served.
Massachusetts has one of the strongest economies in the nation, but our economy is constantly at risk by over-taxation of the middle class and policies that harm the families and businesses that are so vital to the fabric of our community. I was proud to support and vote for the reduction of the state’s income tax to 5%, as passed by the voters in a ballot referendum. I worked diligently on and helped pass the economic development bond bill which assisted many municipalities across the Commonwealth in revitalizing and rebuilding their infrastructures. As we work together to get through this pandemic, I pledge to work diligently to resurrect our economy, create jobs, and help our residents provide for their families. I will once again, work with my colleagues, to make this happen and to make our economy great again.
In my time in office, I have worked diligently to earn my reputation for excellent constituent service. The people of this District aren’t just my constituents – you are my neighbors, teachers, mentors, friends, and family. It’s another promise that I am proud to keep; carrying my strong record on constituent service to the state level. We have assisted with thousands of constituent phone calls and emails and this service will continue as long as I am your State Senator.
I am proud of the work that I have done in the legislature, but this job is about so much more. It is about the town of Westminster getting a turnout gear washer to keep their firefighters safe. It is about the town of Berlin getting a handicap van to service the seniors. It is about the town of Lunenburg being able to remove asbestos from an elementary school. It is about the city of Fitchburg being able to reconstruct the Westminster Bridge. It is about helping the city of Leominster build a new police station. And it is about finding funds for the city of Gardner’s dog park. It is about putting our Community First. In just two years, I was able to secure over 3.1 million dollars in earmark projects, over 5.2 million dollars in project grants, and over 35 million dollars in bond projects. I am proud to serve my communities and I will be part of their growth and progress, now and for many years to come.
My journey to the State Senate has not been easy. We live in a state with a deeply entrenched power structure that is not always welcoming to people who don’t come from the old guard, and that’s true of both political parties. I’m currently the first and only Asian member in the entire State Senate, and I’m the first Republican State Senator to be elected from this District in decades. We all know that ours is a State that is controlled by a supermajority of Democrats, who would like nothing more than to create a path of least resistance to unlimited taxation, big government, and eviscerate protections for law enforcement. Our state, sadly, is not above dirty politics. Today, in asking for your support, it is only fair that I make my first public statement about the allegations that were made against me by a Democrat-controlled committee in the State Senate. Last year, an anonymous tipster, whose identity has never been revealed, accused members of my staff of working on my campaign during the workday. In my first meeting with the Senate Counsel who led the inquiry, she pointed to a painting of Calvin Coolidge on the wall and told me that she never would have voted for him because he was a Republican. In March, a overwhelmingly Democrat-controlled committee made findings against me related to a tipster’s allegations. That Committee never asked for, or heard my side of the story. I never had the opportunity to confront, or even learn the identity of the alleged witnesses. I was not advised of the statements made by the witnesses or the evidence that the Committee may have considered. Nor was I ever informed of the potential consequences of the investigation prior to reading the report released to the public. I did not even see the 13-page report that was released to the public until 90 minutes – 90 minutes – before it was published in the Boston Globe.
That Report was humiliating, hurtful, and most importantly, grossly inaccurate. To this day, I still have not been informed of the basis for these allegations, making it difficult to appropriately respond. Nonetheless, so many of you have reached out to support me in the face of this attack on my character. I am eternally grateful and will not forget your kindness. I will continue to take my ethical obligations seriously and will do everything in my power to make sure that my new staff does not blur the line between campaign and official activities. To the extent that this line was blurred in the past, and to the extent that the allegations brought disrepute to our wonderful district, I apologize, and I take responsibility as your representative.
The bottom line is this: the partisan actions of Senate Counsel and that Committee never have, and never will distract me from my purpose of serving as a Senator. I will take the Senate’s politically motivated actions as motivation for myself to work harder than ever to advocate for the people of this District on Beacon Hill. Nothing will deter me from that mission. I will continue to lead with honesty and integrity. They can tell me where to sit, but they cannot tell how to serve my district.
My job as your State Senator is not finished. As the only State Senator with an A rating in protecting your 2nd Amendment rights and as a strong believer in due process, I will continue to protect your personal and constitutional rights, provide you with the utmost public safety, serve our vulnerable populations and fulfill our obligation to our schools, rebuild our economy, and bring home more resources to the district. I am prepared to fight for YOU and I promise that I will continue to be a tireless advocate for YOU on Beacon Hill.
Party affiliation does not entitle me to this position nor does my last name. Accomplishments and experience are the reasons I am asking you for re-election. My private sector career comprised of 23 years in the business world, and I was responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. My political career has been comprised of volunteering on many boards and commissions, including four years on the Fitchburg Planning Board, twelve years on the City Council, and two years in the State Senate. I have worked my way up from the ground floor of poverty to the floor of the State Senate. Accomplishments and experience matter.
The Worcester Middlesex District is home to incredible people, and I hope that as we begin our campaign for re-election that we can continue to empower our communities to shine as bright as they ever have.
Thank you for your continued support and friendship and let’s put our Community First.
God bless our Community and God bless the United States of America.
Thank you
The full transcript of the Senator’s announcement is below:
It is with great honor and pride that I announce my intention to run for re-election to the Massachusetts State Senate representing the Worcester Middlesex District.
I am a person of humble beginnings, and because of that, I have never taken your support for granted. I arrived in this District at the age of four, a refugee from Vietnam. I have called this place home ever since. My family and the people of this District taught me to work hard, be honest, and take care of those around me. And I have tried to live by those values. Through serving four years on the planning board, twelve years on the City Council, and two years in the State Senate, I have endeavored to give back to this community all that you have given me and my family, and more. Our special election victory in 2017 and re-election in 2018 was nothing short of historic. You made me the first Vietnamese-American elected to the Massachusetts Legislature, the first minority to be elected to the State Senate from my district, and the first and only Asian born-American in the State Senate. We did this with an R next to my name, in a progressive district, and a Democrat-controlled state, because the people of this District chose to see past mere party affiliation and put great value on the personal qualities of their representative. Today I ask you to send me back to Beacon Hill, not just because you helped me achieve the American Dream, but because there are many more in our District who can.
Since taking office, I have taken a common sense, bipartisan approach to Beacon Hill. I have been an active participant in the legislature, and I have worked hard to represent the district to deliver on all the promises that I have made.
I made a promise that I would support a comprehensive change to the funding formula that pays for public education. Education in this amazing country is the guiding light to fulfill the American Dream. The children in this country have endless opportunities and infinite potential, but we need to provide the proper education to lead them there. As a product of the public schools and a father of four children enrolled in public schools, I saw first-hand the need for reform and improvements in our education system and I acted. I co-sponsored bills to modernize the Foundation Budget for the 21st Century and the Student Opportunity Act to bring long-overdue changes to the way the Commonwealth funds our schools. As a result, schools in our District received unprecedented funding in my first term. Our children and teachers deserve the best, and if you send me back to the Senate I will continue to champion their cause.
As more of our students choose to pursue a college education, I acted to protect them. I voted in favor of a bill to protect our students from predatory loan servicers, establish a new unit in the attorney general's office to help students resolve complaints from predatory lenders and a consumer assistance unit within the division of banks to investigate those who violate financial regulations. These new laws will ensure that banks cannot take advantage of and harass our students.
Our children not only need the best education that we can possibly provide, but they also need protection. I made a promise to toughen the regulations on sex offenders and protect our communities, continuing the work I did on the Fitchburg City Council. So, on Beacon Hill, one of my first votes was to strengthen the Sex Offender Registry Board to be more transparent about those living in our towns and cities.
I have been a true supporter of public safety, well before popular terms like “police reform” were in vogue, I listened to the law enforcement community and worked hard with my Senate colleagues to create a fund to help establish a statewide training facility. I also worked to increase funding for safety gear and trauma services like On-Site Academy for our first responders who risk their lives every time they put on a uniform in order to provide us with the public safety, we all enjoy.
In light of the recent incidents involving law enforcement around the country, it is important, as it has always been, for us to continue to ensure that law enforcement is applied evenly and fairly in our Commonwealth. As a strong supporter of public safety, and your safety, I believe that any law enacted by the Legislature must involve transparency and dialogue from all stakeholders. It is essential that these laws appropriately address contributing factors and unintended consequences and for these reasons, I voted against a hastily written bill that attacked and discredited our law enforcement and all public employees, without the benefit of the public’s input. We must use common sense and I plan on supporting legislation that will address the root causes of injustice. But make no mistake, I support nothing that has a hidden agenda to interfere with your public safety or demean our upstanding members of law enforcement who risk their lives every day to keep us safe.
To be clear: to the officers at our correctional facilities, to the firefighters heading to a fire, to the EMTs transporting a patient, and to the police officers who are keeping our streets safe, you have a friend in me. I will continue to fight for you, I will continue to listen to you, and I will never be afraid to stand up for you no matter the political consequences.
I will also continue to proudly support our Veterans, who all too often are given short shrift after being paid lip service. Our Veterans deserve our respect and support and they will always have mine. I was proud to vote for the Brave Act which designates the 5th day of April as Gold Star Wives Day and the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mothers and Families Day, granting paid military leave for those called to duty for up to 40 days of training and operational preparations, and increases the burial expenses paid by the Commonwealth for indigent Veterans, as well as other financial assistance. As a member of the Veterans Committee, I will see to it that they are well served.
Massachusetts has one of the strongest economies in the nation, but our economy is constantly at risk by over-taxation of the middle class and policies that harm the families and businesses that are so vital to the fabric of our community. I was proud to support and vote for the reduction of the state’s income tax to 5%, as passed by the voters in a ballot referendum. I worked diligently on and helped pass the economic development bond bill which assisted many municipalities across the Commonwealth in revitalizing and rebuilding their infrastructures. As we work together to get through this pandemic, I pledge to work diligently to resurrect our economy, create jobs, and help our residents provide for their families. I will once again, work with my colleagues, to make this happen and to make our economy great again.
In my time in office, I have worked diligently to earn my reputation for excellent constituent service. The people of this District aren’t just my constituents – you are my neighbors, teachers, mentors, friends, and family. It’s another promise that I am proud to keep; carrying my strong record on constituent service to the state level. We have assisted with thousands of constituent phone calls and emails and this service will continue as long as I am your State Senator.
I am proud of the work that I have done in the legislature, but this job is about so much more. It is about the town of Westminster getting a turnout gear washer to keep their firefighters safe. It is about the town of Berlin getting a handicap van to service the seniors. It is about the town of Lunenburg being able to remove asbestos from an elementary school. It is about the city of Fitchburg being able to reconstruct the Westminster Bridge. It is about helping the city of Leominster build a new police station. And it is about finding funds for the city of Gardner’s dog park. It is about putting our Community First. In just two years, I was able to secure over 3.1 million dollars in earmark projects, over 5.2 million dollars in project grants, and over 35 million dollars in bond projects. I am proud to serve my communities and I will be part of their growth and progress, now and for many years to come.
My journey to the State Senate has not been easy. We live in a state with a deeply entrenched power structure that is not always welcoming to people who don’t come from the old guard, and that’s true of both political parties. I’m currently the first and only Asian member in the entire State Senate, and I’m the first Republican State Senator to be elected from this District in decades. We all know that ours is a State that is controlled by a supermajority of Democrats, who would like nothing more than to create a path of least resistance to unlimited taxation, big government, and eviscerate protections for law enforcement. Our state, sadly, is not above dirty politics. Today, in asking for your support, it is only fair that I make my first public statement about the allegations that were made against me by a Democrat-controlled committee in the State Senate. Last year, an anonymous tipster, whose identity has never been revealed, accused members of my staff of working on my campaign during the workday. In my first meeting with the Senate Counsel who led the inquiry, she pointed to a painting of Calvin Coolidge on the wall and told me that she never would have voted for him because he was a Republican. In March, a overwhelmingly Democrat-controlled committee made findings against me related to a tipster’s allegations. That Committee never asked for, or heard my side of the story. I never had the opportunity to confront, or even learn the identity of the alleged witnesses. I was not advised of the statements made by the witnesses or the evidence that the Committee may have considered. Nor was I ever informed of the potential consequences of the investigation prior to reading the report released to the public. I did not even see the 13-page report that was released to the public until 90 minutes – 90 minutes – before it was published in the Boston Globe.
That Report was humiliating, hurtful, and most importantly, grossly inaccurate. To this day, I still have not been informed of the basis for these allegations, making it difficult to appropriately respond. Nonetheless, so many of you have reached out to support me in the face of this attack on my character. I am eternally grateful and will not forget your kindness. I will continue to take my ethical obligations seriously and will do everything in my power to make sure that my new staff does not blur the line between campaign and official activities. To the extent that this line was blurred in the past, and to the extent that the allegations brought disrepute to our wonderful district, I apologize, and I take responsibility as your representative.
The bottom line is this: the partisan actions of Senate Counsel and that Committee never have, and never will distract me from my purpose of serving as a Senator. I will take the Senate’s politically motivated actions as motivation for myself to work harder than ever to advocate for the people of this District on Beacon Hill. Nothing will deter me from that mission. I will continue to lead with honesty and integrity. They can tell me where to sit, but they cannot tell how to serve my district.
My job as your State Senator is not finished. As the only State Senator with an A rating in protecting your 2nd Amendment rights and as a strong believer in due process, I will continue to protect your personal and constitutional rights, provide you with the utmost public safety, serve our vulnerable populations and fulfill our obligation to our schools, rebuild our economy, and bring home more resources to the district. I am prepared to fight for YOU and I promise that I will continue to be a tireless advocate for YOU on Beacon Hill.
Party affiliation does not entitle me to this position nor does my last name. Accomplishments and experience are the reasons I am asking you for re-election. My private sector career comprised of 23 years in the business world, and I was responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. My political career has been comprised of volunteering on many boards and commissions, including four years on the Fitchburg Planning Board, twelve years on the City Council, and two years in the State Senate. I have worked my way up from the ground floor of poverty to the floor of the State Senate. Accomplishments and experience matter.
The Worcester Middlesex District is home to incredible people, and I hope that as we begin our campaign for re-election that we can continue to empower our communities to shine as bright as they ever have.
Thank you for your continued support and friendship and let’s put our Community First.
God bless our Community and God bless the United States of America.
Thank you