UCANE Interview

Rep esentative Tackey Chan (D- Quincy)

Representative Chan’s interest in politics developed during his time at Brandeis University, where he got his degree in Politics, and subsequently became an intern in the office of State Representative Michael Bellotti’s Office in 1995. He was fortunate enough to be hired by State Senator Michael Morrissey, initially as a part-time staff person and later on a full-time basis, eventually becoming his Legislative Director and General Counsel. He left the Senator’s office for a position in Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office, working as Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Ratepayer Advocacy. He had long been interested in policy making and advocacy work for the growing Asian American community in Quincy, so when a seat opened up in the House of Representatives, he ran and joined three of his colleagues in becoming the first Asian Americans elected to the Massachusetts’ House.

Q: With citizens being asked to stay at home more during the pandemic, access to clean drinking water and proper management of wastewater is critical. Please give us your thoughts relative to the importance of maintaining our water, wastewater, and utility infrastructure.

A: Being home more has likely resulted in an increase usage of water, sewer, electric, gas, and telecommunications for most people. As the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, one of my main concerns has always been assuring that consumers have access to the necessary resources to remain safe and healthy at a reasonable cost. Households should consider reexamining their utility bills; many companies provide resources to consumers to help them become more energy efficient and therefore save money. Perhaps one of the few advantages of many folks staying home during the pandemic has been the opportunity for the state, municipalities, and utility companies to complete infrastructure projects more quickly. These investments in updating our infrastructure are critical in ensuring our water supply is clean and our wastewater systems are operating properly.

Q:

What do you believe will be the greatest challenges for your district with regard to economic recovery?

A: Quincy is an immigrant city with a large wageworker and small business workforce. Quincy, like many places, is seeing a rising cost of living, with rising rental and housing prices outpacing income. We are facing high levels of food insecurity, many small businesses are closing, and folks are largely dependent on public transportation while simultaneously having serious health concerns about using the MBTA and the commuter rail.

The need for better access to up-to-date technology is becoming more apparent, especially in regards to telehealth. Having access to good cameras on your phone, tablet, or computer, enough internet speed to maintain a good connection, technology training for patients, and conference ability to communicate with non-native English speakers will be paramount as we continue to grapple with remote healthcare work.

On a statewide level, the State’s economic drivers are healthcare, education, tourism, and hospitality. Rarely have all three sectors been negatively impacted simultaneously within the same year. This is and will continue to have a negative ripple effect on all sectors of the Commonwealth.

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Interview continued from page 19

Q: The City of Quincy has dealt with water infrastructure issues over the past few years. As we recover from this crisis, please give your thoughts on how the state will continue to support local aid to cities and towns to help support basic municipal services, specifically water infrastructure.

A: It is very difficult to give specifics about future state funding. As of the end of June, the State unemployment rate was approximately 16%. Economists have been unable to project the State’s economic recovery, which will determine our tax revenue projections. The belief is that the worst-case scenario will be a $6 billion or 16% state tax revenue reduction, not including state fees and federal reimbursements. The State Lottery has been negatively impacted, especially as Keno is located almost exclusively in restaurants and bars and makes up 15% of all State Lottery revenue. The State has been delaying collection of sales taxes, licensing fees, and service fees during COVID-19, which reduces the State’s revenue collection in the near term. Over the past several months, the state has invested heavily in hospitals, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes, community healthcare centers, personal protection equipment, manufacturing conversions to make personal protective equipment, and temporary emergency field hospitals. We will need to continue to maintain COVID-19 readiness in the healthcare system with the anticipation of a possible second COVID-19 resurgence in the future. Thankfully, the federal government has assisted on some of the COVID-19 immediate costs and we are waiting to see if they will provide any direct assistance to states specifically for their state budgets. Without federal assistance and/or speedy economic recovery, the State financing in fiscal year 2021 will be devastating.

How has your job changed with the requirements of social distancing and working remotely?

and myself have continued to adjust how our office operates as remote work becomes the new normal. We have been utilizing social media more often to convey the latest COVID-19 related information as quickly as possible. I have been conducting weekly podcasts with my local cable access television channel. Like a lot of folks, we have had to learn a variety of video conferencing software to take meetings, and have become more and more reliant on email and phone calls to connect with constituents. We continue to sift through a tremendous amount of information we are receiving ranging from constituent issues to learning the public health impacts of COVID-19. As Chair of a committee, we have also had to adapt how we conduct public hearings, balancing constituents and advocates ability to remain involved in the hearing process while working within the parameters of video conferencing. Similarly, House formal sessions and voting is done via conference call that is live streamed on the legislature’s website. Although strange and at times difficult, we are committed to continuing to push important policy forward through the remainder of the

Q:

A: COVID-19 has completely changed an occupation that is in-person oriented. The staff legislative session. n

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