Dean A. Tran is an American politician from Fitchburg, Massachusetts, who was elected to the Massachusetts Senate in 2017 in a special election. He represented the Worcester and Middlesex District, and is a Republican. Before his election to the Massachusetts Senate, Tran was a member of the Fitchburg City Council.
Dean Tran | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Massachusetts Senate Assistant Minority Whip | |
| In office 2019 – March 26, 2020 [1] | |
| Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the Worcester and Middlesex district | |
| In office December 6, 2017 – January 6, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Jennifer Flanagan |
| Succeeded by | John J. Cronin |
| Member of the Fitchburg City Council | |
| In office 2005–2017 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Saigon, Vietnam |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Kerry |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Fitchburg, Massachusetts |
| Alma mater | Brandeis University |
| Website | www.deantran.com |
Early life
Tran was born in Saigon renamed Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam into a successful business family. He emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of 4. After fleeing Vietnam by boat, Tran’s family spent two years in a refugee camp in while waiting for their application for green cards to be approved. In 1980, he and his family were sponsored by a Catholic priest in Clinton, Massachusetts where he called his first real home. In 1986, his family relocated to Fitchburg, Massachusetts where he graduated from Fitchburg High School. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree from Brandeis University.[2][3]
Political career
In 2005, Tran became the first person of color elected to the Fitchburg City Council.[4] On December 5, 2017, after 12 years as city councilor, Tran won a special election to replace outgoing state senator Jennifer Flanagan for State Senate representing the Worcester and Middlesex district.[5] He ran as an advocate for fiscal discipline and low taxes. Tran is the first Vietnamese American to hold an elected office in Massachusetts.[6]Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
On December 20, 2017, Tran was officially sworn in to the State Senate. His senatorial district comprises Berlin, Bolton, Precincts 1 & 2 of Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Sterling, Townsend and Westminster in north central Massachusetts. Tran was re-elected in the general election in November 2018, but he lost re-election in the 2020 general election to Democrat John Cronin.[7]
Leadership and Committees
- Former Assistant Minority Whip
- Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security (ranking Minority member)
- Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight
- Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government
- Joint Committee on Transportation (ranking Minority member)
- Joint Committee on Higher Education
- Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs
- Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy
Scandal
Tran was stripped of his leadership post, as assistant minority whip, in March 2020 after the Senate Ethics Committee ruled he violated ethics and campaign rules by having staffers work on his 2018 re-election campaign while on state time.[8] [1] He subsequently lost re-election in November of the same year.[7]
As of January 2022, neither the Office of Campaign and Political Finance nor the Ethics Commission have taken any public action on these accusations.[6]
Personal life
Tran is married to his wife Kerry. They have four children: Isabelle, Olivia, Madilyn, and Dean. In his spare time, Tran likes to spend time with his family and is a volunteer coach for youth soccer, basketball, and baseball.[9] Before being elected to the state senate, he served on the Executive Board for the Boy Scouts of America, NVC, the Corporator Board for the Central Massachusetts YMCS, and the Board of Trustees for Mount Wachusett Community College.[10] Tran continues to help families in need as Tran and staff were able to raise monetary donations to purchase food and Christmas gifts for the Perez children as well as give hundreds of dollars to the family to use for expenses. [11]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Senate Committee on Ethics finds that Sen. Dean Tran violated campaign regulations", Lowellsun.com, March 26, 2020
- ^ https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/dat0/Biography
- ^ https://www.brandeis.edu/magazine/2018/summer/class-notes/alumni-profiles/tran.html
- ^ https://www.thegardnernews.com/story/news/politics/elections/local/2020/10/23/sen-dean-tran-and-challenger-john-cronin-have-economic-priorities/42872751/
- ^ Burke, Amanda (December 5, 2017). "GOP's Dean Tran wins special election for state Senate seat by over 600 votes". Sentinel & Enterprise. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
- ^ a b Stout, Matt (2021-12-08). "Former state senator accused of unethical behavior moves toward Congressional run - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
- ^ a b "John Cronin wins Worcester & Middlesex Senate seat over incumbent Dean Tran".
- ^ "Mass. Senator dinged in ethics inquiry forms legal defense fund - the Boston Globe". The Boston Globe.
- ^ https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/dat0/Biography
- ^ https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/dat0/Biography
- ^ "Perez family receives help from former state Sen. Dean Tran and staff". 11 January 2021.