Vanna Howard for State Representative
Title: Vanna Howard for State Representative
By Soben Pin | Posted Friday 8/28/2020
Lowell, MA — Vanna Howard, a long time former Regional Director for Congresswoman Niki Tsongas is running for the 17th Middlesex District State Representative seat in the upcoming election on September 1st, 2020. She is challenging a long time incumbent Dave Nangle who served the post since 1999. In February, he was indicted with 28-counts by the federal government for the misused of campaign money, bank frauds and more. She is also challenging another candidate Lisa Arnold, a former city council member.
Vanna declared her candidacy in April to run for the seat with some strong community leaders backing in the district. Vanna came to Massachusetts in the 1980s as a Cambodian child refugee without a word of English, with her mother and two siblings after having lost her father, two brothers, a sister, and two maternal grandparents during four years of the Khmer Rouge Regime. Vanna went to Middlesex Community College, then University of Massachusetts Lowell where she earned her Bachelor degree in Political Science. She married, build her family and career here in Lowell.
“I am running because I strongly feel the need to give back to a place which has been so good to me; because I feel I have the skills, knowledge, and experience to capably serve the residents of this district; and because these unprecedented times are right for a fresh and effective voice on Beacon Hill” said Vanna Howard.
The candidate, Vanna Howard, entire her career has been in public service from working in the Middlesex and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices for 13 years and 11 years as Greater Lowell Regional Director for Congresswoman Niki Tsongas. Today, she works as the Chief of External and Government Relations at the Lowell Community Health Center, a distinguish community health center which provides access to quality health care for nearly half the population in the city.
Vanna also serves on several boards and commissions including the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell, the Lowell Housing Authority, Mill City Grows, Ironstone Farm, Project LEARN, the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association, Acre Family Child Care, Cultural Organization of Lowell, and the MA Asian-American Commission.
“Through these experiences, I have not only become familiar with every neighborhood in this District but I have learned the importance of hard work, really listening to peoples’ concerns, tackling problems head on, and working collaboratively to craft real-world solutions to those problems. These qualities and hard-won experiences are needed to solve problems in the middle of a pandemic” said Vanna Howard.
If elected, she pledged that she will advocate for small business, health care and women’s care, transportation and infrastructure, education, housing, diversity, equality and inclusion, environment/climate, gun violence/public safety, veterans, and the financial security for the seniors. “I will bring a different voice and passion to Beacon Hill. A voice that is reflective of a diverse community. A passion that comes from caring for people. A commitment that I will respect this office, every day, as a position of trust.”
If elected, Vanna will be the 2nd Cambodian American State Representative in the United States. With high respects for her long years experience in both politics and laws, I believe Vanna is a well prepared candidate to run our diverse 17th Middlesex District and she would make the our community very proud. The Lowell politic will also change by changing the face and the new generation of leadership.
I support Vanna Howard for the 17th Middlesex District State Representative and I ask you to do the same. Please Vote for Vanna Howard on September 1st.
