Greer Tan Swiston was at a political gathering a few years ago when the topic of discussion shifted to: Why are there no Asian office holders in the state?
The speaker at the gathering, as Tan Swiston recalls, responded by saying: "Well, for starters, nobody is running. It's really hard to elect somebody that never runs."
So Tan Swiston, age 40, cracked open a copy of the U.S. Constitution and the Constitution of the Commonwealth and dusted off her seventh-grade civics book. She decided to run for state representative.
Though she gained local media coverage and created a buzz with her run for office last year, she ultimately didn't win the seat. But she's back. This time, she’s running for Alderman-at-Large in Newton's Ward 3.
Tan Swiston is one of four local Asian American candidates and office holders who spoke on June 7 at Northeastern University's "Asian Americans in Politics," a discussion with office holders and candidates. The event was sponsored by the university's Asian American Center and the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts.
Diverse in both political views and backgrounds, the event included Tan Swiston, who is a Republican; Sam Yoon, who is a Democrat running for an At-Large seat on the Boston City Council; Amy Mah Sangiolo, who is a Democrat and vice president of Newton's Board of Aldermen; and Ramesh Advani, who is politically conservative and is chairman of the Norfolk Board of Selectmen.
The panel, which included an introduction by former state governor Michael Dukakis, was held against the backdrop of increasing participation among Asian Americans in local politics as that population’s growth has out paced that of other minorities. Since 1990, the Asian American population of Massachusetts has grown by about 70% to nearly 240,000. In addition, in recent years, community groups have worked to increase voter registration among Asian immigrants in places like Chinatown and Dorchester, while Asian Americans in some towns and cities across the state have run for political office. Most recently, Sam Yoon, a native of Korea, broke a Boston milestone by becoming the first Asian American to run for a seat on the city council.
Speaking on a broad range of topics, the candidates and office-holders told why they decided to run for office, what they think about English-only policies, and whether non-citizens should be allowed to vote in local elections.
Though each is involved in local politics and could benefit from votes by green-card holders, they held differing views on whether non-citizens should be permitted to vote.
"No," said Tan Swiston. "I think that it is an important right of citizenship. The reason you're a citizen is that you want to have a say in the government around you."
Ramesh Advani, who was born and raised in India, agreed. "One of the most wonderful things about the United States is its Constitution, and that it's a country of laws," he said.
But Yoon, who said the issue should be "debated," said he could understand allowing non-citizens to vote for school committee members. "That is a level of government," said Yoon. "If people can politically swallow that, then we're starting to think outside the box."
"I'm a strong and staunch supporter of it," said Amy Mah Sangiolo of Newton, where residents are currently debating the matter. "People who have a vested interest in the community, who've lived in the community for years, who send their kids to the public schools, who pay their taxes, all should have a say in how their school board and how their local government is run."
Each of the four held the same view, however, on another politically controversial topic: implementing English-only policies.
No one supported such policies.
"I think this is one of the only advanced democracies, or advanced developing economies, where people just focus on one language. It's not like that in the European community; it's not like that in the lively economic giants in Asia, and I really think there's a lot to be gained if a nation understands (other languages and cultures)," said Advani.
All the speakers also felt that being Asian American was not a disadvantage when running for political office.
"To be perfectly honest," said Tan Swiston, "being Asian American is the least of my problems," she joked. "Being in Newton and being a Republican is [one of my] biggest obstacles."
"Asian, for me, I don't think it's a disadvantage," said Yoon.
Mah Sangiolo agreed.
Reasons for running for political office included wanting to give back to their communities and taking a stand against the current leadership.
Tan Swiston told of attending the political gathering that inspired her to run, while Sangiolo and Advani both faced development projects they opposed in their communities.
"When you're very upset with your representatives, why don't you stand up to them?" said Sangiolo, who won her first election by 12 votes and on a recount.
Advani said that objecting to a development project that would drain money from his town sparked his interest in running, but upon reflection, he said: "The real reason I ran was I just felt a strong need to give back to the community, and to let folks know that I care about the place where I live."
"There's clearly a lack of representation in Boston City Hall on the City Council," said Yoon when discussing his motivations for running for city council. "The city council really needs to be more representative of the city that is changing underneath their feet." He suggested that the council does not reflect Boston's increasingly diverse population, which is more than 50% minority, and includes many young professionals and newcomers.
After noting that the speakers "hinted" that Asian Americans care about education, family and hard work, the event’s moderator, Paul Watanabe of the Institute for Asian Studies at UMass Boston, asked: "Does that imply that Latinos (or African Americans) don't care about family, education and hard work?"
"I don't think that when a community or group talks about a certain value or certain characteristic, it in any way diminishes the value or characteristic in another community," said Advani, who said that would be "divisive."
But, he said: "If you live long enough in an environment, that environment is going to mold you."
Sangiolo said that those values are not particular to one group, and that they are "humanistic values."
Yoon said he can see why Asian cultures are celebrated as being family-centered but that he believes people should look out for all members of their community.
"I think that the real point to remember is that we're all really different, but we're here as Americans," said Tan-Swiston. "People always ask, 'Is your husband American?' and I say 'Yes, and so am I.' "
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The speaker at the gathering, as Tan Swiston recalls, responded by saying: "Well, for starters, nobody is running. It's really hard to elect somebody that never runs."
So Tan Swiston, age 40, cracked open a copy of the U.S. Constitution and the Constitution of the Commonwealth and dusted off her seventh-grade civics book. She decided to run for state representative.
Though she gained local media coverage and created a buzz with her run for office last year, she ultimately didn't win the seat. But she's back. This time, she’s running for Alderman-at-Large in Newton's Ward 3.
Tan Swiston is one of four local Asian American candidates and office holders who spoke on June 7 at Northeastern University's "Asian Americans in Politics," a discussion with office holders and candidates. The event was sponsored by the university's Asian American Center and the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts.
Diverse in both political views and backgrounds, the event included Tan Swiston, who is a Republican; Sam Yoon, who is a Democrat running for an At-Large seat on the Boston City Council; Amy Mah Sangiolo, who is a Democrat and vice president of Newton's Board of Aldermen; and Ramesh Advani, who is politically conservative and is chairman of the Norfolk Board of Selectmen.
The panel, which included an introduction by former state governor Michael Dukakis, was held against the backdrop of increasing participation among Asian Americans in local politics as that population’s growth has out paced that of other minorities. Since 1990, the Asian American population of Massachusetts has grown by about 70% to nearly 240,000. In addition, in recent years, community groups have worked to increase voter registration among Asian immigrants in places like Chinatown and Dorchester, while Asian Americans in some towns and cities across the state have run for political office. Most recently, Sam Yoon, a native of Korea, broke a Boston milestone by becoming the first Asian American to run for a seat on the city council.
Speaking on a broad range of topics, the candidates and office-holders told why they decided to run for office, what they think about English-only policies, and whether non-citizens should be allowed to vote in local elections.
Though each is involved in local politics and could benefit from votes by green-card holders, they held differing views on whether non-citizens should be permitted to vote.
"No," said Tan Swiston. "I think that it is an important right of citizenship. The reason you're a citizen is that you want to have a say in the government around you."
Ramesh Advani, who was born and raised in India, agreed. "One of the most wonderful things about the United States is its Constitution, and that it's a country of laws," he said.
But Yoon, who said the issue should be "debated," said he could understand allowing non-citizens to vote for school committee members. "That is a level of government," said Yoon. "If people can politically swallow that, then we're starting to think outside the box."
"I'm a strong and staunch supporter of it," said Amy Mah Sangiolo of Newton, where residents are currently debating the matter. "People who have a vested interest in the community, who've lived in the community for years, who send their kids to the public schools, who pay their taxes, all should have a say in how their school board and how their local government is run."
Each of the four held the same view, however, on another politically controversial topic: implementing English-only policies.
No one supported such policies.
"I think this is one of the only advanced democracies, or advanced developing economies, where people just focus on one language. It's not like that in the European community; it's not like that in the lively economic giants in Asia, and I really think there's a lot to be gained if a nation understands (other languages and cultures)," said Advani.
All the speakers also felt that being Asian American was not a disadvantage when running for political office.
"To be perfectly honest," said Tan Swiston, "being Asian American is the least of my problems," she joked. "Being in Newton and being a Republican is [one of my] biggest obstacles."
"Asian, for me, I don't think it's a disadvantage," said Yoon.
Mah Sangiolo agreed.
Reasons for running for political office included wanting to give back to their communities and taking a stand against the current leadership.
Tan Swiston told of attending the political gathering that inspired her to run, while Sangiolo and Advani both faced development projects they opposed in their communities.
"When you're very upset with your representatives, why don't you stand up to them?" said Sangiolo, who won her first election by 12 votes and on a recount.
Advani said that objecting to a development project that would drain money from his town sparked his interest in running, but upon reflection, he said: "The real reason I ran was I just felt a strong need to give back to the community, and to let folks know that I care about the place where I live."
"There's clearly a lack of representation in Boston City Hall on the City Council," said Yoon when discussing his motivations for running for city council. "The city council really needs to be more representative of the city that is changing underneath their feet." He suggested that the council does not reflect Boston's increasingly diverse population, which is more than 50% minority, and includes many young professionals and newcomers.
After noting that the speakers "hinted" that Asian Americans care about education, family and hard work, the event’s moderator, Paul Watanabe of the Institute for Asian Studies at UMass Boston, asked: "Does that imply that Latinos (or African Americans) don't care about family, education and hard work?"
"I don't think that when a community or group talks about a certain value or certain characteristic, it in any way diminishes the value or characteristic in another community," said Advani, who said that would be "divisive."
But, he said: "If you live long enough in an environment, that environment is going to mold you."
Sangiolo said that those values are not particular to one group, and that they are "humanistic values."
Yoon said he can see why Asian cultures are celebrated as being family-centered but that he believes people should look out for all members of their community.
"I think that the real point to remember is that we're all really different, but we're here as Americans," said Tan-Swiston. "People always ask, 'Is your husband American?' and I say 'Yes, and so am I.' "
________________
Want to respond to this story? E-mail
englisheditor@aaca-boston.org
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