波士頓華人投資俱樂部秋季創投峰會(圖片)

波士頓華人投資俱樂部(BCIC)創辦人易敏(左起)，布蘭
岱斯大學國際商學院院長Kathryn Graddy，EGI合夥人
許恒源。(周菊子攝)

布蘭岱斯大學國際商學院院長Kathryn Graddy以數據展示
國際學生變化。(周菊子攝)

亞裔反家庭暴力小組絲路籌款會(圖片)

陳五福: 5G改變網路業模式 未來商機無限

陳五福透過網路從台灣發言。(周菊子攝自會場)

(Boston Orange 周菊子屋本市報導) 紐英崙中華資訊網路協會(NECINA) 10月19日在屋本市舉辦”5G科技會議”。創會會長陳五福直言，5G科技將帶動網路科技模式大轉變，但礙於需要數量很多的基地台(baseband)支持，發展速度恐難一縱登天，倒是針對特定需求的5G網路，將有無數商機。

陳五福為5G寫詩。(周菊子攝)

5G是下一代的蜂窩網路，從2019年開始，世界各地似乎都在推出5G服務，人們也都期待5G會比4G快很多，平均下載速度應該可以達到每秒1GB的數據量。但是，包括近如委瑞森(Verizon)在羅德島州推出的5G電話服務，5G技術還並沒有讓一般人感受到傳聞中的速度閃快，延遲率低，數據處理量超大等的神奇。

紐英崙中華資訊網路協會(NECINA)陳五福坦率表示，在一個有限範圍內，5G技術可容許人工智能發揮得更極致，諸如無人駕駛等大數據實時運算，機器深度學習等，都可完美實現，但要達到走遍世界每個角落，都有5G網路覆蓋，恐怕還要一段時間，因此也給人更多機會揣摩5G商機。

許基康(右一)出席會議。(周菊子攝)

             陳五福指出，20年前，在網路業經歷模式轉換，從電路切換(circuit switching)轉成封包交換(packet switching)時，一群網路業的企業家創辦了紐英崙中華資訊網路協會。那時候，在電腦計算通訊業方面，波士頓尤其是世界的科技中心，諸如瀑布(Cascade)，梧桐(Sycamore)和箭點(Arrowpoint)等一系列通訊系統公司，都是在波士頓成功創辦、上市。網協可以很驕傲地說，諸如吳錦城，許基康等許多網協會員，都是這些創新公司的核心骨幹。
                陳五福透露，3G就是在這波通訊網路科技熱潮中發展出來，載送移動數據的。那時候，他和3名來自中國大陸，從美國拿到學位的博士，在德州奧斯汀創辦了CWill公司，為中國研發出TD-SCDMA(時分同步碼分多址)的3G技術。TD-SCDMA後來成為國際的三大3G標準之一，也為”華為”成長為今日的4G，5G重鎮，打下基礎。

Brian Clark以圖片展示，每一種新技術出現，都需要花一段時間，
才被市場接受。(周菊子攝)

             陳五福認為，經過這麼多年的科技進展，網路業正踏入另一個模式轉換期，包括運算速度，儲存容量，網路可用性，智慧物聯網(IOTs)，安全，以及虛擬的運算，儲存，網路和終端設備等等。但最重要的是，具有大數據機器學習能力的人工智能取代了很大一部分的人腦功能，勢將比取代人力的工業革命，更具顛覆性。

             陳五福開玩笑的說，他希望會取代人類靈魂的新科技，永遠不會出現，否則上帝造人的神祕，就會被打碎了。

PTC副總裁陶東斌(右)和M/C創投合夥人Brian Clark(左)談
”5G趨勢及投資景觀”。(周菊子攝)

             由於5G不但能夠量化品質，還能在服務層次協議(SLA)上，提供毫秒或更細粒度(granularity)延遲的新參數，陳五福認為，很多新應用程式會出現。那些資訊或數據即時與否對營運成敗具關鍵影響的行業，更需要這技術。

             至於4G和5G技術的主要性能區別有3項，高比特率，可量化的延遲，大量的終端設備支援。

            例如高比特率支持更快的服務，因此減少了下載視頻或數據的時間。

             可量化的延遲，是5G後才有，對工業4.0的自動駕駛應用程式等實時應用程式非常關鍵的功能。

大量終端設備，在支援規模越來越大，數量越來越多的智慧物聯網上，非常關鍵。

5G話題惹人矚目。(周菊子攝)

             要支持這些多元功能，5G架構必須有極大改變。由於數據量高，信號傳輸縮短距離的物理原理，使得基地台數量大增。為了避免成本失控，基地台功能必須分成幾個層次，以允許分享極有價值的基地台處理資源。

             陳五福認為在可預見的未來，人們都不應該期待同質性的5G網路，因為成本高到不可能也不實際。反之，慢慢會出現針對各種不同需求的特定5G網路。對那些能夠以創新科技，服務來滿足新出現的市場需求的創業家們來說，到處都是機會。

             陳五福也認為，在加強5G科技及服務上，人工智能無疑地將扮演很重要的角色。

             陳五福還為這新世代創作了一首” AI5G (愛無極)”打油詩: AI 無極愛5G，AI5G融一起，典範轉移創新機，網路革命覆天地 (AI is boundless and loves 5g, AI and 5g melt together,  Paradigm shift creates new opportunities, Network revolution turns the world upside down)。

             在回答問題時，陳五福也指出，隨著5G科技發展會出現的創業機會包括RU波速成形天線陣列技術(RU Antenna array technologies with beam forming)，DU科技及其管理，有切割的CU，端到端的應用適配層，邊緣計算，小分子應用程式，5G及無線網路6G整合，無線本地環路，工業4.0應用程式等。

             陳五福本人目前還在幫朋友籌組一個基金，打算投資，支持5G相關新創企業發展。

            紐英崙中華資訊網路協會這天的”5G科技會議”，由現任會長高弘致詞開場，陳五福做主題演講，接著有網協董事，PTC副總裁陶東斌和M/C創投合夥人Brian Clark談”5G趨勢及投資景觀”，平行無線(Parallel Wireless)副總裁曹陽(譯音)談”5G科技及物聯網發展”，紅帽(Red Hat)技術長辦公室的陳偉明談”介紹5G，物聯網及MEC的關鍵發展”。(更新版)

Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates Second Annual STEM Week with Kickoff at the Museum of Science

Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates Second Annual STEM Week with Kickoff at the Museum of Science

Students across the Commonwealth will engage in hands-on science, technology, engineering and math lessons to boost awareness of STEM career opportunities

BOSTON – Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, educators, business leaders and other state officials kicked off the second annual statewide STEM Week at the Museum of Science today, an effort to encourage more young people to explore science, technology, engineering and math studies and careers. More than 400 schools have applied-learning lessons planned for the week, and nearly 1,000 events will take place across the Commonwealth to engage students in STEM activities. 

At the Museum, the Governor signed a proclamation declaring October 21 through 25 statewide STEM Week, with a focus on encouraging young people across the Commonwealth the “See Themselves in STEM.”

Strengthening STEM education in the Commonwealth’s K-12 schools and deepening the STEM workforce pipeline is a priority of the Baker-Polito Administration. Lt. Governor Karyn Polito co-chairs the STEM Advisory Council along with Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III and Jeffrey Leiden, chief executive officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The STEM Advisory Council is appointed by the Governor and includes education and business leaders in STEM industries that work to promote STEM education, partnerships among industries and schools and internships for students.

“We hope that STEM Week sparks interest among students to explore science, engineering, technology and math as fields they could pursue in their future careers,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “As STEM-related industries like biotech, clean energy, information technology, and manufacturing continue to thrive in the Commonwealth, the demand for highly-skilled young people is a pressing issue for the state’s economy and I am grateful to Lt. Governor Polito for her leadership on this initiative in her capacity as Co-Chair of the STEM Advisory Council.” 

“We have made tremendous strides in boosting STEM education in Massachusetts schools over the past several years, but there is too much untapped potential in classrooms as young women and minority students are still widely underrepresented in these fields,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “We appreciate all the hard work done by schools, businesses, colleges, libraries, museums, and other nonprofit organizations to make this week a success and look forward to celebrating the week across the Commonwealth.”

Employment in STEM-related occupations is projected to grow to more than 9 million jobs nationwide between 2012 and 2022 – an increase of about 1 million more jobs over 2012 employment levels, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The need for STEM graduates particularly impacts Massachusetts because more than 40 percent of all employment in the Commonwealth revolves around innovation industries such as clean energy, information technology, defense, and advanced manufacturing, according to the Massachusetts’ Plan for Excellence in STEM Education.

“In an economy increasingly reliant on STEM skills, students shouldn’t have to dream big just to envision a STEM career,” said Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III. “Throughout this second annual STEM Week, thousands of students will be given the opportunity to work closely with leaders in business and education to gain experience in our most rapidly expanding economic sectors. Leaving so much untapped potential on the field not only fails our moral obligation to our students, it drains the economic growth we need instead.”

“STEM Week is helping us change the way we teach topics like science and engineering – it brings learning out of the textbook and into the real world with hands-on problem solving,” said Dr. Jeffrey Leiden, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vertex. “Like most of my scientist friends, I got hooked on science by my outstanding fifth grade teacher. Developing the next generation of scientists is all about capturing their imagination early and showing them how much fun a career in science can be, and that’s what this week is all about.”

“We are thrilled to welcome the Governor, Lt. Govenor, Secretary Peyser, and Congressman Kennedy and other leaders from government, industry, and education to celebrate the kick-off of the second Massachusetts STEM Week here at the Museum of Science,” said Gwill York, Board Chair for the Museum of Science. “For millions of people every year, the Museum of Science lives out its mission to deepen the public’s relationship with STEM by highlighting its critical role in our day-to-day lives. As a cultural institution and educator of science, technology, engineering and math, we take very seriously our role in helping to break down barriers and dispel any misconceptions around what STEM is or who belongs in STEM. STEM is for all. As a member of the MA STEM Advisory Council, we welcome the close partnerships we have with city and state agencies, schools, colleges, and industry, to support our common goal to build STEM education in Massachusetts.”

Over the past several years, Massachusetts schools have boosted the prominence of STEM subjects. Public high school students are now able to substitute a computer science course for a lab science or mathematics to meet their MassCore curriculum requirements. The state adopted new digital literacy and computer science curriculum frameworks, giving public school students their first statewide standards in a subject that is increasingly becoming essential to college and career success. And in 2017, the state created a new license for computer science teachers. 

The Baker-Polito Administration is focused on giving more students career exploration learning opportunities. Schools across the Commonwealth have strengthened career coaching and planning, and state education officials are working to help school districts develop and expand programs in high schools that give students rigorous college-level courses in STEM subjects through early college and career pathway programs. 

At the state’s vocational and technical schools, the administration has made significant new investments, more than $65 million over the past four years, to make sure students learn on the most up-to-date industry standard equipment. 

“We would like to see more students gain applied learning experiences so they develop real-world skills and knowledge in STEM-related fields,” said Secretary of Education James Peyser. “It is critical that all students are able to use these skills to think critically and solve problems, both in school and in the workplace.”

“Science, technology, engineering and math are great subjects for hands-on experiences that have students work together to investigate questions and explore fields that they might not have considered,” said Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey C. Riley. “I’m glad to see students and teachers engaged in this work during STEM Week and throughout the year.”

The Governor and Lt. Governor, along with their Cabinet secretaries, will take part in several STEM Week events throughout the week. 

To find out more about STEM Week events, visit the Mass STEM Week website

Baker-Polito Administration Announces Health Care Legislation Aimed at Addressing Key Challenges

Baker-Polito Administration Announces Health Care Legislation Aimed at Addressing Key Challenges

Proposal Prioritizes Primary Care and Behavioral Health Within the Construct of the State’s Health Care Benchmark

BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration today introduced comprehensive health care legislation to improve outcomes for patients, increase access to care and bring down costs. The reforms will promote access to behavioral health and primary care services and cut down the hidden costs that currently blindside consumers and impact the overall system. The legislation also holds drug companies accountable for excessive prices and unjustified price increases, and supports distressed community hospitals and community health centers.

In addition to the legislation, Governor Charlie Baker today signed an executive order forming a commission tasked with conducting a comprehensive study of the individual and small group insurance market, often referred to as the “merged market”, to examine the underlying trends that are contributing to growing costs for individuals and small and mid-size employers. The administration also approved $15 million to be deposited into the Health Safety Net Trust Fund to support care provided to uninsured and underinsured patients by acute care hospitals and community health centers.

The legislation aims to invest in team-based approaches to treat the whole individual in order to improve health outcomes and decrease costs over time. Current internal and external data suggests that less than 15% of total medical expenses in Massachusetts are spent on primary care and outpatient behavioral health services combined. 

“We need to prepare our health care system for the future, focus our efforts on achieving the best outcomes for patients and bring down costs. The current health care system is not incentivized to take proactive steps to address the challenges associated with supporting an aging population, individuals with a chronic illness, or those in need of behavioral health services,” said Governor Baker. “This legislation supports holistic approaches to care, provides consumers and employers with affordable care options, promotes behavioral health parity, and ensures everyone has access to the services they need.” 

“The Commonwealth is one of the healthiest states in the nation with the highest percentage of insured individuals, in part due to our strong and innovative health care industry; however, we continue to be one of the most expensive states for health care,” said Lieutenant Governor Polito. “This legislation aims to protect consumers and reduce their out-of-pocket costs, and further support community hospitals and health centers which play a critical role in delivering quality, affordable care to some our highest-need communities.”

“For far too long, primary and behavioral health care has not been at the forefront of our health care system. While we know that changing the narrative will take time, we are committed to engaging in a multi-year, multi-pronged approach to create a cohesive system of behavioral health care and strong primary care in the Commonwealth,” said HHS Secretary Marylou Sudders. “We took a hard look at our current system and asked what we had to do as a state to incentivize payers and providers to invest in these services and improve access to care. Today’s legislative action is a significant step, and over the next several months we will be rolling out additional behavioral health initiatives that support our overall goal of achieving true parity.”

The legislation includes reforms in five major areas: 

• Prioritizing behavioral health and primary care
• Managing health care cost drivers to protect consumers
• Improving access to high-quality, coordinated care
• Stabilizing distressed community hospitals and health centers
• Promoting insurance market reforms

Prioritizing behavioral health and primary care within the cost growth benchmark

Since January 2015, the Baker-Polito Administration has invested $1.9 billion in behavioral health across the spectrum of care. Even as the administration has made important strides in the integration of behavioral and physical health and increased treatment capacity, deep-rooted structural challenges continue to exist. Consumers consistently report long waits for appointments, lack of treatment available at the right time and at the right place and difficulty finding providers who take insurance. 

Additionally, the system continues to underinvest in primary care despite the known link to better population health and lower spending. By definition, primary care focuses on early detection and treatment and is among the most cost-effective functions of our health care system. 

The legislation targets those challenges by prioritizing investments in behavioral and primary care and establishing a spending target.

• Providers and insurers, including MassHealth, will be required to increase spending on behavioral health and primary care by 30% over three years within the construct of the state’s healthcare benchmark. 
• Calendar year 2019 spending will serve as the baseline, and providers and insurers will be measured on their performance beginning in calendar year 2023. 
• The legislation does not suggest a standard pathway for providers and insurers to achieve the target.
• Providers and insurers will be required to report their progress on an annual basis through the Center for Health Information Analysis’ (CHIA) and Health Policy Commission’s (HPC).
• If the target is not achieved, providers and insurers will be referred by CHIA to the HPC and may be subject to a performance improvement plan which may require them to identify strategies and opportunities to increase investments in primary care and behavioral health. 

In addition to promoting increased spending in behavioral and primary care, the legislation complements the administration’s broader efforts to create a cohesive behavioral health care system by developing the behavioral health workforce and ensuring consumers have access to accurate and updated information by:

• Encouraging behavioral health practitioners to accept insurance

·         Requires insurers, including MassHealth, to use a standardized credentialing form so providers only need to complete one application.

·         Increases payment rates by establishing a “bottom line” for certain services based on the in-network rate for comparable medical/physical services.

·         Requires insurers to report on their out-of-network behavioral health utilization. 

• Promoting timely access to appropriate behavioral health treatment

·         Requires insurers to maintain accurate provider directories and update them on a quarterly basis. It also requires providers to update any changes in status (e.g. no longer accepting new patients).  

·         Prohibits payers from denying coverage or imposing additional costs for same-day behavioral health and certain medical visits

·         Requires acute care hospitals to maintain clinical capacity to provide or arrange for the evaluation, stabilization and referral of patients with behavioral health conditions in emergency departments

• Develop behavioral health professional workforce

·         Requires insurers to reimburse non-licensed behavioral health professionals in training working in clinical settings.

·         Establishes a Board of Registration of Recovery Coaches, per the recommendations of the Recovery Coach Commission, to credential and standardize the recovery coach position to promote insurance reimbursement.

Managing health care cost drivers to protect consumers 

Since 2009, total healthcare spending growth in Massachusetts has been below the national rate; however, health care spending is still high and consumers continue to pay more for health care even when they have coverage. The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA)’s recent annual report found that total health care expenditures grew from $58.8 billion in 2017 to $60.9 billion in 2018, an increase of 3.1%. Even with a moderate overall growth rate, the burden of health care costs on Massachusetts employers and residents continues to grow. Over the past two years, growth in consumer out-of-pocket costs and premiums has outpaced inflation and wage growth. For every additional dollar earned by Massachusetts families between 2016 and 2018, 48 cents went to health care. 

The legislation protects consumers and reduces out-of-pocket costs by:

• Prohibiting surprise billing for emergency and unplanned services rendered by an out of network provider at an in-network facility. For example, an individual may receive a surprise medical bill after going to the emergency room for a broken arm and getting an X-ray by a radiologist who, unbeknownst to the consumer, is out-of-network. 
• Creating limits for when a hospital can charge an extra fee (known as a facility fee) for services delivered at hospital outpatient department. Patients may go to a hospital outpatient department to see a specialist or have a day surgery that does not require an inpatient stay. Statistics show that prices for the same service can be 30-60% more in hospital outpatient departments than in a doctor’s office. The limits are focused on the proximity of the clinic to the hospital’s main campus and fees are prohibited altogether for certain services like an X-ray or MRI delivered in an outpatient setting. 
• Requiring that pharmacies inform individuals about their lowest out-of-pocket cost options for prescription drugs when they pick-up a prescription.

The legislation also provides the Commonwealth with additional tools to hold pharmaceutical manufacturers and middlemen accountable for growing prescription drug costs. 

High drug costs that are new to the market with little competition continue to drive health care spending, even after rebates. The Baker-Polito Administration has already taken historic measures to address high drug costs through the state’s Medicaid program.  Provisions approved in the FY20 budget authorized MassHealth to directly negotiate with drug manufacturers and engage in a public process when a deal cannot be reached while maintaining full coverage for members. However, no system targeting high cost drugs currently exists in the commercial market. To address this, the legislation creates a multi-pronged approach for increasing accountability for drug manufacturers:

• Subjects manufacturers of new, high-cost drugs to HPC’s accountability process (cost more than $50,000/per person per year) for further review, similar to the processes established for insurers and providers.
• Imposes a penalty on manufacturers that increase the cost of drugs exponentially which are sold or distributed in the Commonwealth. The penalty will be imposed if a drug is increased greater than the consumer price index (CPI) plus two percent. The penalty would be equal to 80% of the increase amount in excess of CPI +2% for drugs sold or distributed in the Commonwealth.
  • For example, a drug may cost $1,000 on 12/20/20 and on 12/20/21 it costs $1,020. If the CPI is set at 2% then the drug could grow 4% (CPI + 2%) without being penalized. In this scenario the manufacturer would not be penalized because the price increase does not exceed 4. However, if the drug cost $1,200 on 12/20/21 the manufacturer would be penalized because it exceeds the 4% growth. The Commonwealth would then collect the 80% on the difference times the amount of units sold or distributed. In this scenario, the difference is $161 meaning the penalty would be $129 (80%) per unit. If the manufacturer sold 30,000 units then the Commonwealth would penalize the company for $3.8 million. 

Additionally, the legislation aims to increase state oversight of pharmacy benefit managers (PBM). PBMs manage prescription drug benefits for many health plans and negotiate prices and rebates with manufacturers and payments to pharmacies. Their practices have increasingly raised concerns because they aren’t transparent and may contribute to high drug costs. As part of reforms included in the FY20 budget, the Baker-Polito Administration implemented a new requirement for PBMs to be transparent about their pricing and to limit PBM margins under contracts with MassHealth, MCOs and Accountable care organizations (ACOs), which is projected to save $10 million in the first year. However, Massachusetts currently has no authority or oversight of PBMs or their compensation and as a result cannot hold PBMs accountable or compel them to report data related to revenues. The legislation:

• Establishes a PBM certification requirement within the Division of Insurance.
• Requires PBMs to report financial data to CHIA from manufacturers and provider payments to increase transparency. 

The legislation also strengthens the Commonwealth’s ability to hold insurers and providers accountable for growing health care costs.

• Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012 is designed to health care spending growth in line with growth in the state’s overall economy by establishing a statewide target for the rate of growth of total health care expenditures, known as the “health care cost benchmark”, which is set by the Health Policy Commission

昆士市長Koch競選連任 麻州長站台強調無標籤選舉

麻州州長查理貝克(右)和昆士市長柯奇(Tom Koch)合影。(周菊子攝)

昆士市長 Tom Koch 歷數昆士市進步，坦言喜愛這份工作，
籲請民眾支持連任。(周菊子攝)

            (Boston Orange 周菊子昆士市綜合報導) 還有不到20天，就是11月5日的大選日。你的神聖一票要投給誰? 麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)認為，昆士居民可以投給柯奇(Tom Koch)，一個做事不看標籤的人(no label game)。

             共和黨籍的麻州州長查理貝克，自五年前競選州長，得到民主黨籍昆士市長柯奇支持以來，兩人的友誼日益更深。16日晚他再度來到昆士市的Tirrell廳，親自為昆士市長柯奇的競選連任站台。

麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)強調無標籤選舉(No label)，
做得好的人就要支持。(周菊子攝)

             在2分多鐘的簡短講話中，他稱許柯奇是個無時無刻不在想，可以做些什麼來使昆士市更好的市長，而且他還會想盡辦法把事情做成。在好多活動及項目上，他都是一個非常好的夥伴。

查理貝克還說，柯奇是那種他會形容為把敏感度帶進工作和公眾生活的人，而在現代社會中，這種敏感十分重要。柯奇也是那種從長遠著想的人，致力改善昆士市民眾生活品質，雖然是民主黨籍，並不在乎為共和黨做事，有如無黨派人士，是真正的”行事無標籤(no label game)”的人之一，會從尋求共同點開始，找出機會與可能性。

在講話結束前，查理貝克不忘提醒出席者，要帶動自己的朋友，親戚，在十一月五日這天出席投票，投柯奇一票。

柯奇表示，其實查理貝克本人也是這樣，講究的是”捲起袖子，解決問題”。他還說，要是華府(那些政客)也是這樣就好了。柯奇稱讚查理貝克是個非常好的夥伴，無論是地鐵紅線，濫用毒品，交通，住宅的建設等等問題，他都協助昆士市處理。

柯奇也不忘稱讚昆士市的市議員，學校委員會委員們等市政同僚，指稱在持續改進昆士市的路上，教育上學校表現非常好，治安上，警察使得昆士市成為麻州犯罪率最低的城市之一。他說，昆士市是個很棒的城市，因為市民願意奉獻。

柯奇也提醒出席者，11月5日要去投票，因為還有很多人甚至不知道11月5日是大選投票日。

麻州州長查理貝克(右)應邀和昆士市長柯奇(Tom Koch)
一家人合影。(周菊子攝)

昆士市今年的市長選舉，是市長任期從二年改為四年後的第二次選舉，柯奇一旦當選，將成為昆士市有史以來任期最長的市長，也是第一位起用亞裔助理的市長。

根據昆士市愛國者報(Patriot Ledger)，柯奇大概還是把昆士市變成麻州市長選舉花費最昂貴城市的第一人。至少在人口65,000上下城市，今年的25名市長候選人中，柯奇花的錢最多，籌款額也最高。截至10月15日，他共花了221,051元，競選財庫餘額，還有436,383.79元。

在助選會場上，麻州長查理貝克和昆士市長柯奇
開心談笑。(周菊子攝)

今年昆士市有3人參選市長，但選局卻非常安靜，在初選階段，既無辯論，也無論壇，兩名角逐者似乎都”醉翁之意不在酒”，既未落力籌款，也未積極競選。根據愛國者報(Patriot Ledger)，在初選中落選的Tracey Lea Dorgan，只花了26元競選; 在初選中得票率也有19%，將於11月5日和柯奇競爭的Brenda A. Ryan，甚至宣佈過她不會籌款，也不會為競選花一分錢。不過昆士市長柯奇每次競選連任時，都坦率表示，他絕不會理所當然地認為自己一定會當選連任，絕對很懇切地要求選民支持，所以無論有無對手，競選活動都辦得很認真。

麻州參議員John F. Keenan出席連襟，昆士市長的助選會。
(周菊子攝)

昆士市民主黨委員會(Quincy Democratic City Committee)將於10月29日(週二)晚6點，假中央中學(Central Middle School)為市長，分區市議員，不分區市議員，學校委員會委員等4場選舉的所有候選人，舉辦論壇。

(圖片已於17日發表)

昆士市長助理邱潔芳(右)和市府同事。(周菊子攝)

麻州獅子會33K分區區域主任李源沛家住昆士市，
出席支持柯奇。(周菊子攝)

昆士學院的翁渭漢(Al Young)和麻州州長查理貝克
交換意見。(周菊子攝)

昆士市長的鄰居，梁燕珍夫婦當然到會。(周菊子攝)

助選會現場，感謝麻州長助選的
可愛薑餅人。(周菊子攝)

昆士市長助選會的餅乾，色彩豐富。(周菊子攝)

大波士頓華商會發起籌款會 支持吳弭連任

波士頓華埠商會為吳弭辦籌款會。(周菊子攝)

波士頓華商會共同會長陳文棟介紹吳弭。(周菊子攝)

            (Boston Orange 周菊子整理報導)波士頓市內唯一的華裔/亞裔市議員吳弭(Michelle Wu)，甫於9月24日的不分區市議員初選中奪得第一高票。波士頓華商會10月17日晚，再辦籌款會，繼續為吳弭的將在11月5日順利連任，造勢，奠實力。

            波士頓市的不分區市議員選舉，由於前議員普莉斯萊(Ayanna Pressley)當選聯邦眾議員後，席位由之前在選舉中得票數排名第5的葛莉森(Althea Garrison)遞補，於是今年的選舉在許多人心目中，形同至少有一席出缺，包括都表態要競選連任的其他3名在位者，居然有多達15人跳入選戰，熱鬧十分。

東海集團董事長梁國忠(左)也應邀出席，支持吳弭(右)。
(周菊子攝)

            初選過後，得票率超過13%的，只有3名在位市議員。其餘各候選人，競爭者亞歷珊卓聖吉倫(Alejandra Nicole St., Guillen)，梅吉雅(Julia Mejia)的得票率，依序各有8.68%，以及7.87%，遞補上位的在位市議員葛莉森(Althea Garrison)，得票率7.09%。

競運瓜菜董事長陳仕維(右)經陳文棟介紹，認識了
劍橋市的素描湘菜餐廳老闆陳素描(左)。(周菊子攝)

            其餘候選人的得票率，頂多5%，甚至低至1%，估計都構不成殺傷力。選戰觀察家普遍認為，今年的波士頓市不分區市議員選舉，如無意外，將是公開的西語裔女同性戀者，原任波士頓市移民進步辦公室主任的亞歷珊卓聖吉倫(Alejandra Nicole St., Guillen)，和5歲從多明尼加移民來美，由單親母親養大，創辦了一個鼓勵選民投票，公民參與非牟利組織的梅吉雅(Julia Mejia)之爭。

            吳弭的哈佛大學法律學位(J. D. )，律師資格，曾是現為美國總統候選人的聯邦參議員伊莉莎白沃倫(Elizabeth Warren)的學生及助選員，已經擔任過波士頓市議會議長，現年僅34歲等資歷，都讓她在所有的不分區市議員參選人中，顯得格外亮眼。

            吳弭在位這些年間，推動過許多法案，包括簡化牌照申請，倡議環保，帶薪育兒假(paid parental leave)，支持可負擔住宅等，讓她備受支持，曾經獲選為波士頓雜誌的”100名最有影響力人士”之一，以及”愛米莉名單(Emily’s List)”崛起新星的6名決選者之一。

            11月17日晚，波士頓華商會在波士頓安良工商會大樓四樓會址，為波士頓市議員吳弭(Michelle Wu)舉辦籌款會。吳弭在波士頓華商會共同會長陳文棟引介下，和支持她的華裔商家晤面。

吳弭先用中文感謝出席眾人從她第一次競選，一直到現在競選第四度競選連任，接著簡述自己近來的變化，從當初經常與妹妹一同出現，到如今自己已婚，有2個小孩，整個波士頓市也有了許多變化，唯一不變的是，和所有亞裔一樣，大家都很重視家庭，重視文化傳承，波士頓華埠，亞裔在她心中一直有著很特別的地位。