D: Thank you, Ms. Swiston, for the chance to interview you.
GTS: You're welcome.

D: When did you decide to join the race and why?
GTS: I filed papers with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance last Fall. That pretty much marks the day I committed to the race. I decided to run because it was clear to me that the current State Legislature was in crisis. There are so many issues that need to be resolved, rather than just complaining, I felt I ought to be a part of the solution. As a software engineer, an active community leader and daughter of immigrant parents with a dream, I have a lot to offer. As the mother of two school aged children, I have great motivation to invest in the future of my community.

D: Why not for some other office? How'd you decide upon State Representative?
GTS: That's where I see the root of the problems. Reforms have to start at the State level before they can trickle down into the municipal level.

D: What three polices would you say are the backbone, so to speak, of your campaign?
GTS: State Reform, Transportation, Business and Education.

D: That's four.
GTS: Yeah [laughs] … And there are really more. I feel there are many areas in the State Legislature that have been neglected with respect to Newton and we need to bring more balance back to the way we conduct business for our district.

D: If elected, though you may have policies, you still have to work with others to get them passed. Doesn't Kay Khan have an advantage in that area?
GTS: She should, but it's unclear to me that she actually does. After 10 years in office, she's "still in the basement," and that's where I'll be starting too. My advantage is that I maybe starting there, but I have never done anything for 10 years and not become better at it. I have a track record of being able to facilitate discussions between people who may not agree with each other and being able to bridge communication gaps.

In fact, I've already had discussions with the House leadership and they are very open to the idea of giving me a seat on the Transportation Committee if I should get elected. I think it is really important for Newton to have direct representation in the development of Massachusetts Transportation policy. My opponent hasn't been able to get on the Transportation Committee in the 10 years that she has been in office.

D: What's "in the basement"?
GTS: Basically, there are 200 legislators that are housed in the state house, and where your office is located and it's size is often a reflection of the impact you have in the legislature. A freshman legislator would start off with a basement office because he/she has not yet established a track record. But as you become more effective and require more space and accessibility to get your work done, you get promoted into bigger offices in more central locations. One has to wonder how so many newer legislators have managed to get promoted over Kay Khan for her to still be down there after 5 terms.

D: Massachusetts is a Democrat dominated state. What makes you think you can overcome this bias?
GTS: I believe our voters are a lot more intelligent than the current political pundits would like you to believe. The voters are interested in the individual candidate and would like to vote for someone that they believe will truly represent the community's best interests. Often times, the voters haven't been given a choice or don't know what the choices are. As I go around the City meeting individual people, I believe that people are realizing that this year they do have a choice.

The bias is only the bias of the entrenched elected officials who hope that through absence of information, voters have little choice but to keep the status quo. Through outreach and providing access to more information, I expect the informed voter will realize that he/she really has the information to make his/her own choice; the opportunity to choose an independent voice.

D: What would you say is the most common misunderstanding about your candidacy?
GTS: That I don't have a chance to beat an incumbent.

D: What skills do you think are most essential to a State Representative?
GTS: Communication skills, organization skills and project management. I think that there is a lot of work and tasks that have to be done at the state level; people need to work with a strong sense of priority, and I have a lot of experience in managing and juggling multiple tasks at once. And you need to have communication skills, not just with colleagues in the State House, but also with the citizens of the district, with representatives of various organizations that we would have to work with, and with other community leaders.

D: You have an extensive record of community service. When did you start, and what motivated you?
GTS: Maybe it's genetic [laughs]. My father and my grandfather before him always liked to get involved in the community and often found themselves in leadership roles. They were both members of the Lion's Club and have held offices in their respective Alumni associations. I was taught that the community is everyone's responsibility and what you get out of it depends on what you put into it. It's so true! I started when I was in high school: I was a youth camp leader. Since then, I've headed up a neighborhood watch council around my condo complex, served as President for the Boston Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, served on the Executive Committee for the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association. Most recently, I've gotten more active in the local Girl Scouts. In every one of these cases, I have met so many wonderful people, made new friends and gained a little something more that enriched my life.

D: You often talk about the educational system in Massachusetts. What actions would you take to improve it; what's your vision of its future?
GTS: In Massachusetts, we have public, private and charter schools. As a state, we need to provide choices and opportunity to all children. As a state, we need to provide adequate public education so that people are not turning to private schools because of lack of access to academic quality.

I was educated in the public school system and it was definitely a combined effort of my parents, teachers and me to achieve the caliber of education that I received in school. I believe that there are parts of the MA public school system that are excellent. However, we've lost community in our education. Families need to be just as engaged and accountable for the education of our children as the teachers. The students need to be just as engaged and accountable of their education as the school system. In order to be accountable, we need to have some way of measurement. Measurement does not equate judgement. Measurement provides information that feeds into the decision process. In order to quantify and qualify what are good practices to be shared, we need measurement. I want to identify what is working in successful communities and find ways to integrate them into less successful communities. The only way for that to happen is to measure and see what polices they use that are effective and spread them. Standardized testing is a useful tool for this, and I believe through them that we can broaden the community of effective school systems.

D: Thank you for your time, Ms. Swiston.
GTS: Anytime.