Lisa Wong, 28, the recently-elected mayor of Fitchburg, was the featured speaker at the graduation of the Commonwealth Seminar class at the State House on November 16. The daughter of Chinese immigrants, a restaurant owner and a nurse, Wong, is a typical top student with a drive to make it happen.
"Use your voice," she told the crowd of about 80 gathered in the Senate Reading Room. Ironically, she couldn't do it this time because of laryngitis. She said a few sentences and gave her written remarks to Leverett Wing, the executive director of the Asian American Commission of Massachusetts. "(Running for mayor) is not about having a message, but having real conversations," she said before passing the baton to Wing. She said she was proud to have visited some 5,000 households in order to talk to people about real change and real commitments. But even with her hard work and personal way, she was surprised with her landslide win: 75 percent of the votes.
Wong grew up working in her parents' restaurant, where she was supposed to deliver top service. She said she added to that the teachings from her mom's profession of being "compassionate, honest and kind" and respecting others, "no matter what."
Fitchburg is a city that has lost some 1,100 jobs between 2001 and 2005 and has seen businesses close while the minority population has grown to 53 percent, mostly Hispanics. An independent audit has found that $41,000 was stolen from the treasurer's office, according to the Sentinel & Enterprise.
Wong came to the city to visit her parents and suddenly found herself trying to find a place to call home. The time was September, 2001. Soon she was the Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority's first full-time executive director. After her sojourn, Wong said she decided to run in April and "when I decide, I'm in it 110 percent. (Source: Miryam Wiley, Metro West Daily News, Nov 17, 2007).
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