Precinct: 8
Tell us a little about yourself. You can include your personal background, family, outside interests that are important to who you are as a person and a candidate.
I have been living in Lexington for about 13 years. I have two children, 16 and 10 years old, who go to LPS. I was trained as a scientist and work in the pharmaceutical industry, mainly in helping develop drugs that treat debilitating diseases. I am an active member of the community. I am vice president of CALex (Chinese Americans of Lexington) which is dedicated to serving the community. I previously served as a parent representative on the Hastings School Site Council. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, boating and skiing.
I love Lexington and want to contribute to the town. I was elected as a TMM in 2021 and am seeking re-election.
How has your past experience — whether in your professional life, elected office, or as a community leader — prepared you for a role in Town Meeting?
I am currently vice president of CALex (Chinese Americans of Lexington) and have helped organize large cultural events such as the lunar new year celebrations and community programs such as My American Story which promotes relationship building and collaboration between ethnic groups.
What is the most important issue in this election to you personally, and what ideas do you have about how to address this issue?
Environment: Lexington does well at making public space/buildings greener – the new police station will meet high environmental standards and include solar canopies. For Lexington as a community, there are still a lot of opportunities for us to reduce our impact on the environment. The Town Meeting can enact policies that promote energy saving practices and facilitate transition to green-energy resources, for instance, Town Meeting should help promote and support initiatives like HeatSmart.
Financial sustainability: The town has been managed well financially. However, the looming high cost of building a new high school and the continuing rise in residential property taxes do present a financial challenge. The Town Meeting can support the efforts to increase revenue from businesses, particularly by way of attracting high-tech and biotech companies to areas near Hartwell and Hayden Avenue.