Month: July 2023

QEA Endorses Anne Mahoney For Mayor, Courtney Perdios For School Committee

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The Quincy Education Association is endorsing two candidates in this fall’s municipal election: Anne Mahoney for mayor and Courtney Perdios for School Committee.

Mahoney and Perdios were endorsed after at a special vote of the Quincy Education Association’s (QEA) Executive Board on July 25. The Executive Board unanimously approved the recommendations of the Candidate Recommendation Committee.

Anne Mahoney

Mahoney, a current councillor at-large and former school committee member, is challenging incumbent Mayor Thomas Koch.

In its endorsement of Mahoney, the QEA stated in a press release:

“A current at-large city councillor, Mahoney has served on the council since 2018 and before that was a member of the school committee. In her time as an elected official, she has been a constant advocate for financial transparency in Quincy’s budget and allocation process.

“In her interview with the CRC, Mahoney spoke about the need for financial transparency as the city continues experiencing new development and the population growth that has accompanied these developments. Mahoney added the city’s schools will need to grow with the city. The changing demographics of the city should be reflected in the school’s hiring, and Mahoney indicated that making sure our schools are appropriately staffed includes educators who specialize in helping students with mental health issues as well as those who work with our most vulnerable populations.

“As the union representing 900 public educators working for Quincy Public Schools, the QEA focuses on the best practices to serve 10,000 Quincy students and their families. The QEA believes that the best way to serve the community is to look to the future – and that is surely the children of Quincy.

“The members of the Executive Board and the Candidate Recommendation Committee believe that Mahoney, who would serve as the chair of the School Committee, will commit to the future of the schools. This work is vital to the long-term success of the great city of Quincy. We encourage voters who want strong public schools to vote for Anne Mahoney in the November election.”

Commenting on her endorsement, Mahoney stated in a press release:

“I am so honored to receive the endorsement of QEA and the educators they represent who work tirelessly for our students,” said Mahoney. “I have spent nearly two decades working in partnership with QEA, parents, and students to fight for the policies and resources our public schools need to provide the high-quality education and services our kids deserve. As mayor, that leadership will continue.”

During her time in public office, Mahoney said she has been a champion for Quincy Public Schools – working with QEA to secure fair contracts for our educators, advocating for crucial investments in our school buildings and facilities, and lending her voice to ensure our schools are fully funded. Prior to her time on the City Council, Mahoney served on the Quincy School Committee for 12 years. She first ran for that office as a parent with three children in the Quincy Public School system, wanting parents like her to have a voice in ensuring that every child in Quincy has access to high-quality public education.

Perdios is one of six candidates seeking three seats on the Quincy School Committee this fall. She was the only school committee candidate to receive an endorsement from the QEA.

Courtney Perdios

In its endorsement of Perdios, the QEA stated in a press release:

“Perdios spent 10 months on the School Committee in 2021, at a time when pandemic learning created difficult conditions for every stakeholder in QPS. When her time on the committee ended, Perdios continued to prioritize service to public education in the city. A current city-wide PTO Executive Board member, she has also been active in the Clifford Marshall PTO while her three children attended the school. Now, she shows her commitment to QPS with PTO involvement at three different PTO, and Perdios has been an active planner in many community-school events.

“With no parents of school-aged children currently serving on the committee, Perdios is determined to be a voice for those parents who are struggling to be heard. Acknowledging that not all parents have the same “shared experience” that she and her family has had, Perdios believes that her role on the School Committee would be to advocate for the district and to ensure that there is equity in the learning programs and environments across the city. She said that enrollment growth means that the district needs to find ways to include all groups and make thoughtful plans that will focus on the future of our schools.

“We have heard multiple times this year that the public schools are a value statement of the community. We couldn’t agree more, and believe that those who are currently enmeshed in one (or more) of the 19 learning communities in Quincy are the best arbiters of how QPS should evolve and grow. We believe Perdios will help set the stage for the next generation of School Committee leaders.

“The members of the Executive Board and the Candidate Recommendation Committee unanimously believe that Perdios will work hard for the children and families of Quincy Public Schools and partner with the 900 professional educators to find solutions for our pressing issues here in Quincy. We encourage voters who want strong public schools to vote for Courtney Perdios in the November election.”

Reacting to her endorsement, Perdios said: “I’m very excited and grateful to have been endorsed by the Quincy Education Association (QEA). Teachers are truly the backbone of our school system, and work so hard for our kids every day. I’m proud to stand with them!”

The Quincy Education Association, Inc. is a local affiliate of the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the National Education Association, representing over 975 Pk-12 educators of the Quincy Public Schools and faculty and professional support staff of Quincy College.

The Quincy Municipal Election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 7. Besides mayor and school committee, there are three other contested races on the ballot for city councillor in Ward 2, Ward 4 and Ward 6. Candidates for city councillor-at-large, Ward 1, Ward 3 and Ward 5 councillor are unopposed.

There will not be a preliminary election because not enough candidates filed nominations papers in any of the offices that will be on the ballot. This marks the fourth time in 83 years without a preliminary. The other years were 1940, 2007 and 2013.

 

 

 

Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. 36th Annual August Moon Festival Aug. 20

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Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. and the City of Quincy will host the 36th annual August Moon Festival Sunday, Aug. 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Coddington Street, Quincy Center.

This event has attracted over 10,000 patrons from Quincy and surrounding communities for an afternoon of cultural celebrations and fun activities for all.

This year’s festival will have activities for the whole family including a children’s area, face painting, a balloon artist, ice cream, cotton candy, a variety of cultural performances, and an extensive selection of Asian desserts and food vendors serving Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine. Inside you’ll find entertaining games for all ages, photo opportunities, and even a magician.

The festival’s emcee will be Chelsea Vuong, a QARI volunteer who was recently crowned Miss Massachusetts.

Festival admission and parking are free. The opening ceremony will be held at 12 noon.

For more information, visit https://www.qariusa.org/august-moon-festival.

Quincy Teacher – A Cardiac Arrest Survivor – Throws Out First Pitch At Fenway Park

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Michelle Ramponi, an active wife, mom and teacher at the Montclair Elementary School who survived cardiac arrest last fall, threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park July 21st before the Red Sox – New York Mets game.

Joining her on the mound were her main surgeon, Dr. Akinobu Itho, her husband, Matt and their three-year-old daughter, Ava. Matt Ramponi is a Dean of Students at Quincy High School and also the head coach of the Presidents’ boys basketball team. The Ramponis are residents of Hanover.

In October 2022, Michelle Ramponi, 33, began experiencing weakness and chest discomfort, which she attributed to fatigue from being on her feet all day. However, on Oct. 26, Michelle drove herself to the local emergency room. As her husband, Matt, arrived, she was being transferred to the cardiac intensive care unit. Her heart was severely weak and she required escalated support. She was transported to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where she soon went into cardiac arrest.

Medical teams worked to resuscitate Michelle before placing her on ECMO support. Dr. Akinobu Ito recognized that she was in cardiogenic shock likely due to myocarditis and implanted Impella 5.5® with SmartAssist® to support her heart and allow it to rest.

After four days of support, ECMO was removed. Eight days later, Michelle’s heart function dramatically improved and Impella® was weaned and removed. One month after entering the hospital, Michelle returned home to Matt and their daughter, Ava, who was two years old at the time.

Michelle’s determination and strong support team motivated her to overcome every obstacle and make a full recovery. She is grateful for her dedicated medical team but most importantly, she is thankful to raise her beautiful daughter.

Michelle (Capone) Ramponi has taught at Montclair Elementary School for 12 years. She is a 2007 graduate of North Quincy High School. Her husband Matt is a 2003 graduate of Quincy High School.

Matt credited the medical team for saving his wife’s life.

“Soon after being on these amazing machines and being fortunate to have the best hospitals in the world in our backyard, with miracle workers, Michelle came through and is now recovering,” he said.

Rally Celebrates Free Jacks Major League Rugby Championship

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Hundreds of fans turned out July 15th for a rally at Veterans’ Memorial Stadium saluting the Major League Rugby champion New England Free Jacks.

The Free Jacks, who play their home games at the Quincy stadium, won the MLR title July 8 with a thrilling 25-24 win over San Diego in suburban Chicago.

The team arrived at the “Fan Zone” located just inside the Veterans’ Memorial Stadium gate on Merrymount Parkway in a trolley that made its way from Quincy Center to the stadium located across from Central Middle School. Players held the coveted MLR championship trophy called The Shield as well as the silver cup trophy symbolizing their win in the Eastern Conference finals a week prior to their title win in Chicago.

Many fans lined Hancock Street and Merrymount Park taking photos of the trolley and cheering their rugby heroes before filing into the “Fan Zone” where several players and other Free Jacks reps addressed their fans. Also speaking was Mayor Thomas Koch who noted Quincy – long known as the City of Presidents – can now hail as “the City of Champions.”

Here are some photos from the rally. More coverage in the July 20th issue of The Quincy Sun. All photos by Robert Bosworth, publisher, The Quincy Sun.

No Preliminary City Election; Contested Races For Mayor, School Committee And 3 Ward Seats In November

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By SCOTT JACKSON

Twenty Quincy residents returned their nomination papers for the fall election setting up races in November for mayor, three seats on the City Council and three on the School Committee. There will not, however, be a preliminary election in August.

Headlining the November ballot will be the race for mayor. Incumbent Thomas Koch of Newbury Avenue and challenger Anne Mahoney of Ferriter Street, a sitting at-large councillor, both qualified for the ballot.

The November election will also include races for the City Council seats in Wards 2, 4 and 6.

In Ward 2, incumbent Anthony Andronico of Nicholl Street and challenger Richard Ash of Mound Street both made the ballot.

In Ward 4, incumbent James Devine of Cross Street and challenger Matthew Lyons of Centre Street qualified for the ballot.

In Ward 6, incumbent William Harris of Ashworth Road and challenger Deborah Riley of Landgrane Street secured spots on the ballot.

Incumbent Ward 1 Councillor David McCarthy of Whitney Road and Ward 3 Councillor Ian Cain of Forbes Hill Road will both be unopposed in the fall. In Ward 5, incumbent Charles Phelan Jr. opted not to seek reelection and, in the race to succeed him, only Daniel Minton, a Sims Road resident and retired Quincy police lieutenant, made the ballot.

In the race for the three at-large seats on the City Council, incumbents Noel DiBona of Chickatabot Road and Nina Liang of Grand View Avenue both made the ballot as did first-time candidate Scott Campbell of Rockland Street.

Six residents qualified for the ballot in the School Committee contest. They include all three incumbents whose seats are up for grabs this year – Paul Bregoli of Willow Avenue, Kathryn Hubley of Marion Street and Frank Santoro of Lois Terrace – as well as challengers Courtney Perdios of Ruggles Street, Liberty Schaaf of Howe Street and Vincent Tran of East Elm Avenue.

 

Quincy-Based N.E. Free Jacks Win Major League Rugby Championship

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The New England Free Jacks capped a dream season with the franchise’s first league title, defeating the San Diego Legion 25-24 July 8th in the 2023 Major League Rugby Championship Final at SeatGeek Stadium in suburban Chicago.

NEW ENGLAND Free Jacks won the Major League Rugby Championship Saturday (July 8) with a come-from-behind 25-24 win over the San Diego Legion at SeatGeek Stadium in suburban Chicago. Inside center La Roux Malan scored the deciding try for the Free Jacks in the 77th minute. Free Jacks play their home games at Quincy’s Veterans’ Memorial Stadium.
Photos Courtesy Brendan Buckley

Inside center La Roux Malan scored the deciding try for the Free Jacks in the 77th minute, capping an instant classic between MLR’s unquestioned top two sides that featured four lead changes and drama from start to finish. Flanker and team captain Mitch Jacobson and wing Paula Balekana also scored tries for New England, and flyhalf Jayson Potroz went 2-for-2 on penalty kicks and 2-for-3 on conversions.

Wing Nate Augspurger scored two of San Diego’s three tries, with flanker Christian Poidevin providing the other.

A mistake by the Final’s most decorated player allowed the Free Jacks to open the scoring just four minutes in. San Diego inside center and New Zealand All Blacks legend Ma’a Nonu fumbled a routine pass inside the Legion 22, creating a chance for a charging Mitch Jacobson. The New England flanker, who assumed team captaincy following an early-season injury to Josh Larsen, recovered the bouncing ball and dove in for the game’s first try. Jayson Potroz’s successful conversion gave the Free Jacks an early 7-0 advantage.

San Diego responded six minutes later with an equalizing try by flanker Christian Poidevin, but successful Potroz penalty kicks in the 14th and 18th minutes put New England back in the lead. Potroz’s boot was a major asset for the Free Jacks throughout the season as the 31-year-old flyhalf led all of MLR in points scored.

The Legion then pulled ahead for the first time when wing Nate Augspurger broke through the line off a San Diego lineout and raced 30 meters for a try. The ensuing conversion by fellow U.S. international Will Hooley put the West champs up 14-13.

New England threatened once more late in the first half off a counterattack initiated by scrumhalf John Poland, but a penalty near the San Diego try line foiled the scoring chance. Hooley added a penalty kick at the first-half buzzer to make it 17-13 Legion after 40 minutes.

The Free Jacks then opened the second half the same way they began the first: by finding the try zone within the first five minutes. Malan sliced through San Diego’s defensive line and flipped a slick backhanded offload to flanker Joe Johnston as he fell to the turf. Fullback Reece MacDonald brought New England to within meters of the Legion try line, and a long-range pass from Poland off the ensuing breakdown set up wing Paula Balekana for a highlight-reel try in the left corner. Patroz’s conversion put the Free Jacks back ahead, 20-17.

Jacobson had a chance to extend New England’s lead minutes later following big carries by MacDonald and bruising No. 8 Wian Conradie, but San Diego’s defense held him up in the try zone. The Legion capitalized on that near miss, getting a second try from Augspurger in the 61st minute to reclaim the lead at 24-20. Hooley suffered an injury while kicking the conversion, however, and replacement Andrew Henderson missed a penalty kick five minutes later that would have stretched San Diego’s lead to seven.

That miss proved pivotal. With less than seven minutes remaining, New England controlled possession for more than a dozen phases deep in San Diego territory before Poland shot a pass to Malan, who powered through attempted tackles by Augspurger and Richard Judd to score the game-winning try.

San Diego made one final charge in the closing minutes, but a knock-on gave the Free Jacks a scrum, and Potroz kicked to touch to seal a victory that will be remembered in New England for years to come.

New England and San Diego were the unquestioned top two teams in MLR this season — cruising to first place in the Eastern and Western Conferences, respectively — and the gap between them Saturday was slim. Neither team led by more than seven points at any stage, and the margin was within four points for the entire second half.

The Free Jacks and Legion finished the season with identical 16-2 records, including playoffs. New England is 29-6 over the last two seasons, having lost to New York in last year’s Eastern Conference Final.

Potroz led MLR in points scored during the regular season. Balekana tied for the league lead in tries.

Former Patriots players Patrick Chung and Nate Ebner are minority owners of the Free Jacks. Both were in attendance Saturday.