Worcester Business Journal

10 Worcester Business Journal • Janauary 4, 2016 www.wbjournal.com DiNatale to focus on city image, details into office yesterday, Jan. 3, after captur- ing 74 percent of the vote in the November mayoral election, a contested race against local attorney Andrew Couture. In an interview last month, DiNatale was direct about Fitchburg's many chal- lenges as an economically-depressed mill city that still struggles to find new direction decades after the former man- ufacturing hub peaked. "The reason I wanted to run for mayor was in response to a lot of the issues I saw going unaddressed," said DiNatale, who has a reputation for ceaseless attention to residents' concerns — including those that didn't fall under his purview as state representative. The concerns are many, from the conditions of city roads to crime. According to DiNatale, such obstacles contribute to the overall perception that the city is down and out, and that has a direct impact on economic devel- opment prospects. There are other important factors that have left the city – which once eclipsed neighboring Leominster and fellow "Twin City" as a hub for industry – play- ing catchup. • DiNatale made a fresh economic development strategy an important focus of his campaign. He highlighted the need for a more business-friendly city hall, where the permitting process for expan- sion and new business construction is designed to accommodate prospects, rather than serve as a roadblock. • He noted the city's dual tax rate is a detriment, as businesses looking to buy property are turned off by paying higher rates than residents; they can easily find a single-rate in Leominster or another neighboring community. • There is also a relative lack of indus- trial space available for new develop- ment without revamping the city's zon- ing map, which DiNatale would like to review, and access to Route 2 is some- Wong seized control of ailing city finances it struggled to come back from the end of the golden days of manufacturing. Meanwhile, outsider Lisa Wong was busily at work, helping to revamp the city at the Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority. Wong arrived in Fitchburg fresh out of Boston University. Armed with a master's degree in economics, as well as two bachelor's degrees, Wong advanced from her role of economic development assistant at the authority to executive director within a few years. She had set her sights even higher in the city she now called home. Wong wanted to make a difference "The reason I wanted to run for mayor was in response to a lot of the issues I saw going unaddressed," Wong said, citing the city's former BBB- bond rating, lack of savings and inattention to investment in the public school system, which was in danger of being taken over by the state because of poor student per- formance. "I really wanted to make a difference," said Wong, a North Andover native and the daughter of Chinese immigrants who were in the restaurant business. Wong ran for mayor in 2007 and clinched the win in a landslide victory, beating out opponent Thomas Donnelly, a Fitchburg local and veteran city coun- cilor. She took office at age 28, begin- ning a four-term, eight-year stint as mayor that ended this week when State Rep. Stephen DiNatale was sworn into office. Wong married Holyoke City Councilor Anthony Soto last year, and cited a need to give priority to her fam- ily as well as spend time on other pur- suits, when she announced in April she would not seek re-election. Aside from her remarkable youth, Wong was noted by media outlets, including the New York Times, for becoming the first minority to serve in the city's 243-year history. Wong was determined to build her Fitchburg lega- Stephen DiNatale first started serving Fitchburg on its school committee in 1999 before joining the city council in 2004 and the state legislature in 2007. P H O T O / M A T T V O L P I N I Elected at age 28, Lisa Wong was the first minority mayor of Fitchburg and the first female Asian American mayor in Massachusetts. P H O T O / M A T T V O L P I N I >> Continued from Page 1 >> Continued from Page 1

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