SENATE HOPEFUL CRONIN CALLS FOR NEW LEADERSHIP
Democrat challenging incumbent Republican Tran
A first-time candidate from Lunenburg who graduated from West Point in 2013 and served two tours in Afghanistan will face off against a sitting state senator from Fitchburg in the Nov. 3 general election.
Democratic nominee John Cronin and Sen. Dean Tran are vying to represent the Worcester and Middlesex District, which includes Berlin, Bolton, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Sterling, Townsend, and Westminster.
Cronin, 30, was born in Leominster and raised in Fitchburg and Lunenburg. He worked as a janitor after high school at the Worcester County House of Correction before receiving a congressional nomination to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Following his honorable discharge from the Army, he continued his commitment to public service by providing legal advocacy to veterans in need. He is currently pursuing a law degree from Suffolk University.
Cronin officially announced his candidacy in March and later ran unopposed in the September primary, where he received a total of 21,485 votes. Since then, the Democrat says he’s seen a surge in support from residents in the area.
“We have a strong message, a strong organization, and that’s translated into a groundswell of grassroots support,” he said on Friday.
When asked about why he was running for the state Senate, Cronin said he believes there needs be a change in leadership.
“It’s going to be leadership that determines whether it remains a vibrant place to live, work, and raise a family,” Cronin said. “I believe I can restore effective, honest leadership in the state Senate.”
Cronin said the Legislature has to make smart, equitable decisions to grow the workforce and ensure economic stability moving forward.
As for his top priorities if elected, he said at the local level it’s infrastructure, transportation, and education. His goal is to make investments in young people, particularly in early childhood education and
vocational training for teens.
With his sights also on state level concerns, Cronin said he wants to see more restoration centers, which are facilities where people can receive psychiatric care, substance abuse assistance, and other crisis resources.
“Our emergency rooms don’t have the resources to treat people with substance abuse disorder or any mental health crisis adequately,” he said.
With residents more than six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Conan said another priority is to ensure that small businesses are getting the resources they need.
In a recent debate, Cronin also took issue with a controversy surrounding Tran related to a Senate Committee on Ethics report.
He noted that the senator was stripped of his leadership role as assistant minority whip in March after the committee ruled he violated ethics and campaign rules by having staffers work on his 2018 reelection campaign while on state time.
Tran was physically removed from his office and banned from interacting with his staff except for written communications.
“( Tran) is unapologetically dishonest and misleads the people that he is supposed to serve,” Cronin said.
The senator denies the allegations and has characterized the report as a partisan and politically motivated effort to undermine his campaign.
He also faces an ongoing criminal investigation by Fitchburg police and Attorney General Maura Healey’s office into an incident involving a city woman and guns belonging to her late husband.
That allegation was also rebutted during Thursday’s debate and Tran said he is unaware of any investigation by the Fitchburg Police Department.
The incident “did not happen,” he added.
In an email, Tran said he did not have time to participate in the newspaper’s effort to prepare a story for both candidates.
Tran was born in Vietnam but his family fled the country when he was a toddler, seeking shelter in a refugee camp in Thailand.
They emigrated to the United States after they were sponsored by a Catholic priest in Clinton.
He graduated from Fitchburg Public Schools and Brandeis University, later serving on the Fitchburg City Council for 12 years.
Tran successfully won a seat in the Legislature following a special election to replace Democrat Jennifer Flanagan.
During his tenure in the Senate, he has served on seven committees, including the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, on which he was the ranking Minority member.
Editor’s Note: The Senti