Thu Nguyen On Why They Are Running For Worcester City Council

WORCESTER, MA — If Thu Nguyen wins his bid for At-Large seat on the Worcester City Council, they would break several barriers: the first Vietnamese refugee and first non-binary person to ever hold office in Worcester.

But Nguyen says their bid for office is less about breaking those barriers and more about building community. They want to keep buses free, and confront the skyrocketing cost of housing, and bring a youthful voice to the Council.

On Nov. 2, Nguyen will be up against six incumbents and four challengers to win one of six At-Large seats up for election this year. Here's how he answered the Worcester Patch candidate questionnaire:

Why are you running for City Council in 2021?

I am running for City Council because our elected officials aren’t doing enough to bring people together to build a stronger, safer Worcester. As a queer Vietnamese refugee, youth worker and community organizer, currently working as a director at the Southeast Asian Coalition, I know what it's like to be on the ground with the community. I am committed to being available, responsive and rooted in the community, and putting people and neighborhoods first. We need community led solutions at the forefront of city hall. I love this city, and I would be proud to lead as the first non-binary City Councilor in Worcester’s history.

There are now hundreds of housing units planned near Polar Park. What does Worcester have to do to ensure that these developments 1) don't overcrowd the neighborhood and 2) don't push out lower-income residents?

With residents facing a housing crisis and an ongoing pandemic, we must commit to ensuring housing is available for all, both by developing truly affordable units and by stabilizing rents to ensure residents can stay in their homes. There are millions of dollars available to Worcester through federal ARPA funding, and affordable housing should be a top priority. If Worcester is going through a renaissance, we need to ask, who is it for? We need development that centers community and Worcester residents. We need to invest in our neighborhoods, not just downtown.

The City Council voted 8-3 in March to adopt ShotSpotter Connect. How would you have voted and why?

My platform is about creating a Worcester that is safe for all of us. Rather than adopting expensive technology that is not evidence-based, we need to look at building and strengthening our community. We know that well-resourced communities are the ones that thrive. We know that violence and crime is connected to the structural and social determinants of health of our city. We need to spend our money to tackle and address the root causes. I would vote no to adopting ShotSpotter Connect and utilize our budget to build a safer and healthier Worcester through a holistic perspective to create systems and opportunities that uplifts all of us.

What's your stance on making WRTA buses free permanently? Following up on that, when was the last time you rode a WRTA bus?

I absolutely support a permanent Zero Fare WRTA, and this is a core part of my platform. We have the opportunity to support and relieve working-class folks, youth, our elderly, and Worcester residents of what is sometimes considered a significant financial burden, then we should. Public transportation should be a resource that is fully accessible for everyone in our city, and according to the Worcester Research Bureau, Worcester could save money by not collecting fares, which would boost our collective economy and help create new jobs. I am a big fan of public transit — I used it, along with walking, as my main mode of transportation through age 24. I know what it’s like to spend hours to get to places and back, while doing laundry, grocery shopping, and going to work. Having our public transit free also creates a culture of accessibility, connection, and moves us towards a greener Worcester.

What's one thing that's missing in Worcester that you would like to see added?

As a youth worker, I believe we need to be investing much more in our young people and ensuring they truly have the resources and space to thrive. This means budgeting for school infrastructure, social-emotional support and wraparound services, after-school activities, youth jobs and more. I would like to create more spaces where they have decision-making power as well. Too often, we have youth who analyze society with critical lens and form such brilliant and creative solutions yet don’t have the ability to be impactful in ways that would benefit all of us.

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