u/baddaughter_9721

For more information on the fight for Lunar New Year, please read these two posts first:

https://www.reddit.com/r/QuincyMa/comments/1sirlnp/quincy_on_the_brink_of_history_will_tina_cahill/ 

https://www.reddit.com/r/QuincyMa/comments/1t3ntw0/call_to_action_antidemocratic_and_ignoring_the/ 

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On May 6th, the Quincy School Committee met on the anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and once again denied Asian American community members basic respect and recognition. 

During this meeting, many residents spoke at open forum in support of the recognition of Lunar New Year (LNY) as an official holiday in Quincy Public Schools (QPS). Despite the fact that nearly 40% of the QPS population is Asian American and community members have made emotional and impassioned pleas for recognition, this effort is still facing pushback from School Committee members, who are using a technicality to try and get their way on this issue. 

Make no mistake: This is racism and cultural intolerance. Point blank.

Three members in particular, Kathy Hubley, Tina Cahill, and Paul Bregoli have been putting up resistance on this issue. While acting meek publicly, reliable sources have informed me that Kathy Hubley is allegedly the most vocal opponent to this effort. She has told Mayor Koch that she will do anything it takes to stop LNY from being recognized and that she has consulted with lawyers to put legal roadblocks in front of any vote on this issue. To put it bluntly: Kathy Hubley’s sentiment has allegedly been that this will pass over her dead body. What does that tell you about how much respect she has for our Asian neighbors? We saw Hubley’s intolerance clear as day at the May 6th meeting, when she tried to limit the time of someone utilizing a translator at open forum, directly contradicting QPS’s own Language Access Plan. 

For over four years, Quincy families, students, educators, and residents have advocated for the recognition of the LNY. Yet today, nearly 40% of the QPS community is still being told to choose between school and their culture.

Simultaneously, we are seeing increasing rhetoric dividing Quincy into two groups: those who were “born and raised” in the city and those who were not, with the second group relegated as second class citizens. School Committee member Tina Cahill has herself participated in this. 

This new dogwhistle is transparent as glass. Other comments on social media make it clear who the “born and raised” crowd views as outsiders:

https://preview.redd.it/g9n9q88c8y1h1.jpg?width=951&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=27dffd79689a3670eb4c76787ff9f7550669c0c2

All of this begs the question: Who truly counts in Quincy?

Despite members like Tina Cahill shouting from the rooftops that she represents “all of Quincy,” there seems to be a clear double standard in how people are treated in this city based on their cultural background. When QPS has Good Friday listed as an official holiday (despite it not being a recognized holiday in Massachusetts), but School Committee members are fighting tooth and nail to reject LNY, this dichotomy of intolerance is painfully clear. 

Kathy Hubley, Tina Cahill, Paul Bregoli: You should feel ashamed of yourselves. And the voters will respond in kind at the ballot box. 

Call to Action

The School Committee will meet again on May 20th at 6:30 pm (34 Coddington St), where LNY will once again be up for a vote. Please show up in solidarity and consider speaking during open forum. 

If you are a parent, teacher, and/or taxpayer in Quincy, please also write to the School Committee (emails below) by TOMORROW May 19th at 4pm to voice your support. Please include your name, address, and why Lunar New Year is important to you and/or the Quincy Asian community. Letters sent to the open forum email address will be published on the QPS website. The more letters in support, the better.

qscopenforum@quincypublicschools.com

mayorkoch@quincyma.gov

paulbregoli@quincypublicschools.com

tinacahill@quincypublicschools.com

marykatecampbell@quincypublicschools.com

courtneyperdios@quincypublicschools.com

kathrynhubley@quincypublicschools.com

tommyleung@quincypublicschools.com

kevinmulvey@quincypublicschools.com

lauraowens@quincypublicschools.com

Want context on the Lunar New Year issue? Read this post first.

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As many of you may have already seen, the bigoted and anti-Asian minority on the School Committee is once again trying their hardest to stop the recognition of Lunar New Year on the QPS calendar, this time using a technicality to get their way on an issue that should be a no-brainer for a community that is almost 40% Asian American. 

Make no mistake: This is racism and cultural intolerance. Point blank. The amount of energy that these elected officials are putting into denying the community representation is absolutely shameful and should fill each and every person with disgust.

In the Patriot Ledger article uncovered this plot to thwart the recognition of Lunar New Year, School Committee member Tom Leung put it best:  "We had an election last November where two candidates topped the ticket, and those two candidates were openly in favor of Lunar New Year. The minority is still trying to find a way to block what so many families, students and voters want. I view that as anti-democratic and ignoring the will of the people."

Since 2022, community members have come forward advocating for recognition of the Lunar New Year as an official school holiday. Almost 40% of QPS students are Asian American, and this is about more than just a day off from school. It’s about respecting the Asian community in Quincy, and giving them a voice and a sense of belonging in Quincy.  

What Can You Do? 

The committee is meeting on May 6th to vote for 2026-2027 calendar.  If you are a parent, teacher, and/or taxpayer in Quincy, please consider writing to the School Committee (emails below) by May 5th at 4pm to voice your support. Please include your name, address, and why Lunar New Year is important to you and/or the Quincy Asian community. 

If possible please also attend the meeting and speak at open forum. May 6th at Old City Hall, 1305 Hancock Street at 6:30pm

qscopenforum@quincypublicschools.com

mayorkoch@quincyma.gov

paulbregoli@quincypublicschools.com

tinacahill@quincypublicschools.com

marykatecampbell@quincypublicschools.com

courtneyperdios@quincypublicschools.com

kathrynhubley@quincypublicschools.com

tommyleung@quincypublicschools.com

kevinmulvey@quincypublicschools.com

lauraowens@quincypublicschools.com

Please read part 1 first, which contains an explainer on our debt and how we got here.

In this series, I am deep diving into our city’s finances ahead of this year’s budget approval process. The budget affects every single one of us. It is critical that we all have the knowledge to talk about it. 

***

In June 2025, Quincy’s credit rating was downgraded from a AA to a AA- with a negative outlook by S&P Global Ratings, an agency that provides credit ratings about governments and institutions by analyzing their overall financial health and management of debt. This is very similar to a personal credit score that you would get from Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion, except for municipalities. And like personal credit scores, these credit ratings can have an impact on borrowing. A lower credit rating can mean higher interest rates on new loans, less options for who can buy our bonds, and reduced financial flexibility. 

The downgrade to AA- with a negative outlook means that S&P has assessed that, not only are our finances not in good shape currently, but it’s probable that we will continue to trend downward. Other reputable credit rating agencies have also confirmed this downgrade. That’s why it was puzzling to hear our city’s so-called experts downplaying this at the April 27th City Council meeting by saying that the S&P rating is ”just one rating.” 

In this part of the budget series, let’s dive into the reasons behind our credit downgrade, why it matters, and how we can reverse course. 

Why did S&P Downgrade our Credit Rating?

The city's elevated debt burden 

• Quincy is $1.6B+ in total debt and debt repayments account for nearly 20% of the city’s yearly budget.

Not enough revenue

• The city needs to raise revenue to account for increasing annual debt payments. Property taxes are the city’s main source of income. Quincy’s location and community are desirable to developers, and we would be able to build commercial revenue if we stopped doling out tax breaks. Instead, the city continues granting tax exemptions that cost us much needed revenue.

Not enough money in the bank

• Mayor Koch has held the taxes artificially low, using city reserves to cushion the tax levy while continuing to overspend and borrow money. To improve our rating, we need to build up and retain our savings.

A downward spiral

• The negative outlook in the rating reflects a one-in-three (33%) chance that Quincy will have our rating lowered again if our financial position continues to weaken. If we continue down this path and do not get our spending under control and raise revenue to compensate for our enormous debt, we would no longer be comparable to peers with an AA- rating.

The Reserves

Municipal reserves are like the city’s savings account for a rainy day. But for this administration, every day is a hurricane, and we are not using these funds the way we are supposed to. 

The Government Finance Officers Association recommends 2 months of the city’s operating expenses be kept in reserves (about 17%). The Massachusetts Municipal Association recommends at least 5% be kept in reserves. Quincy's combined reserves sit at about 0.5% of the budget in fiscal year 2026, well below either of the recommended amounts. Despite the federal and state guidance, the people steering the ship, like our Director of Municipal Finance, claim credit agencies don’t like to see high reserves. Contradicting the Director, our financial advisor reluctantly admitted at the April 27th City Council meeting that credit agencies would actually like to see our reserves grow. 

Hopefully, one day all of our “experts” can get on the same page. 

Instead of Fixing These Problems, We’re Making Them Worse

As mentioned above, we are on a downward spiral. We are overburdened with debt and on track to have our credit rating downgraded again. Instead of working towards solutions, Mayor Koch has decided to spend more money. On April 29th, the Mayor announced that he had made a deal to buy the vacant Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) campus for $21 million, and will ask the City Council to authorize this purchase as early as the May 4th meeting. 

While there are many opinions on the future of ENC, one thing remains clear: Quincy has demonstrated a track record of poor financial planning and it is quite questionable to be spending an additional $21 million until we get a handle on our finances. It is unclear what – if any – revenue will come from this project. The City Council has asked for a full accounting of all properties purchased by Quincy, including funding source, price, and revenue generated. The city’s Office of Municipal Finance still has not provided this.

A credit rating agency gave us a path forward to deal with our debt, yet our city’s leaders are ignoring it. S&P’s message was clear: reduce spending, build up reserves, maximize revenues. We are not taking any of these actions. In fact, the Mayor is taking steps in the opposite direction and expects the City Council to co-sign his illogical, irresponsible budgetary decisions. 

What Does This Mean for You?

At the end of the day, all of this can be remediated if we spend smarter and come up with a clear financial plan. Municipal bonds are how cities pay for large, expensive, and long lasting purchases. Some of these bonds are generational, with repayments lasting 20+ years. If we do not improve our credit rating and take steps to get our finances in order, your children’s children will be paying off these loans at increasingly high interest rates, as we continue to drain our reserves and borrow for frivolous and unnecessary projects that do not serve as stable sources of revenue. 

In the next part I will discuss the promise vs. performance gap, and the pattern of borrowing based on overly optimistic projections. Coming soon.

Sources

• S&P rating decrease https://www.quincyma.gov/Document%20Center/Department/Municipal%20Finance/Debit%20Services/2025_06_26%20-%20S&P%20Ratings%20Draft%20Report%20Quincy%20MA.pdf?t=202604271057360 
• https://www.mass.gov/info-details/the-stabilization-fund
• https://www.patriotledger.com/story/news/politics/government/2026/04/29/quincy-ma-to-buy-eastern-nazarene-college-enc/89854064007/

At the April 27th City Council meeting, we heard from experts about the state of Quincy’s finances. However, much of what was discussed seemed inconsistent, patronizing, and – at times – intentionally obfuscating, with experts dodging questions and presenting incomplete information to the council. The city’s finances can feel like a black hole sometimes, but if we break it down we can see a picture of a city that is overspending, overpromising to the community, and desperately needs to get a handle on its debt. 

In this series, I will deep dive into our city’s finances ahead of this year’s budget approval process. The budget affects every single one of us. It is critical that we all have the knowledge to talk about it. 

The Fine Print

In October 2025, Mayor Koch addressed the City Council and presented on the city’s finances. During this presentation, we saw a graph (created on June 30th, 2025) of our debt decreasing nicely over time. 

A pretty picture, right? Sure, until you read the fine print at the very bottom of the chart: “Chart displays currently outstanding long-term bonds only, does not project out future bond issues. The City currently has $508 million of short-term notes outstanding that will need to be permanently financed over the next ten years.” 

Translation: The Mayor’s graph shows an incomplete and misleading picture of our debt. We’ve borrowed over $500 million dollars in short-term bonds to pay for our city’s expenses, and those loans need to be paid back. 

It is now the end of April, meaning the $508 million figure is nearly a year old. We have seen new bond approvals in July and September 2025, as well as one for firefighter gear in March 2026.

https://preview.redd.it/hg090rgsuzxg1.png?width=1687&format=png&auto=webp&s=371bf828c80d5d182ec7ec5e2b9f2a48e4b9b1f3

Short-term vs. Long-term Borrowing

There are two types of borrowing: short-term and long-term. On any loan, there is a principal (the amount you borrow) and interest, which is additional debt that accrues over the period it takes us to pay back the principal.

Short-term borrowing provides flexibility, and it is generally used year to year where we only pay interest at first. Eventually, that is converted to long-term debt and we begin to pay the principal. Year after year, Quincy has been continuously rolling over our short-term bonds after their terms end into new short-term bonds, delaying the inevitable point where they will be converted to long-term debt. This is what allows the Mayor to paint a misleading picture of the city’s finances.

Municipal finance differs from personal finance. If you were $1 million in debt with low income, you would not be approved for a loan. However, cities have strong borrowing power even when they are deep in debt. But just because we can borrow doesn’t mean we should. Especially not without a clear and reasonable plan. Our 1.6+ billion debt (and counting) accounts for nearly 20% of the city’s yearly budget. Generally, municipalities use short-term borrowing for construction or improvements, not one-time things like school buses, firefighter gear, and a boiler for a school (all things we have used bonds for in the past). Since we are using so much of our budget to repay loans and are not bringing in enough revenue to cover this debt, we are forced to borrow more, which then makes the debt worse. And the vicious cycle continues.

Who Pays the Price?

To be fair, Mayor Koch inherited some of this debt in 2008. However, every financial statement that’s publicly available shows growing debt. Debt of a certain ratio for municipalities is acceptable. But let’s be clear: the level that we have reached is unsustainable, and our Mayor is either in deep denial or is entirely content to continue to kick the can on this disastrous situation. I’ll let you decide which is worse. 

In the end, Quincy residents will be the ones paying the price for these irresponsible decisions. Under Massachusetts law, the city’s levy limit (the maximum amount of property tax revenue the city is allowed to collect) grows by 2.5% each year. The city can choose whether or not to collect taxes up to that limit. For most of Mayor Koch’s tenure, taxes were held artificially low, below the levy limit. “We didn’t tax residents to the full potential” makes it sound like a gift we should be grateful for. But this isn’t a gift. It’s a sneaky political maneuver. 

Taxes were held artificially low, not because the city was running efficiently, but because it was borrowing more and more money and using low tax bills to conceal the city’s financial situation from residents. Taxing appropriately is uncomfortable, but bad financial planning is just a deferred bill for taxpayers. The city’s main source of income is property taxes. Mayor Koch could have raised taxes gradually each year to build a stable revenue base. Instead, he held them artificially low while using the city’s reserves to cushion the tax levy. The tax levy grew from $248 million in 2021 to $312 million in 2025, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Some of that reflects a growing city. But it’s clear that much of this increase happened, not because of growth, but because of our spending choices like tax breaks to developers, underwhelming income from community development projects, and the fact that our spending outpaces the population growth in the city. 

Quincy is 52% renters and they will also feel the financial burden of these decisions. A property tax increase is often simply passed onto rent. More than half of the city’s residents are paying for two decades of borrowing decisions with nothing coming to offset it.

What Comes Next?

The City Council has requested a full financial briefing before budget deliberations, which will begin after the proposed budget is presented on May 4th. That briefing should address the way our city funds have been decreasing, the way we have been using city reserves to artificially lower taxes, and the state of our debt. The Mayor and his Chief of Staff have consistently asserted that Quincy is financially sound. But the financial documents tell a different story.

In the next part I will discuss the city’s credit rating downgrade and what it means. Coming soon.

Sources

City of Quincy FY2026 Debt Overview — https://www.quincyma.gov/Document%20Center/Department/Municipal%20Finance/Debt%20Service%20Documents/Debt%20Presentation-%20City%20of%20Quincy%20Final.pdf?t=202510220904520 

MA Department of Local Services (DLS) tax levy information — https://dls-gw.dor.state.ma.us/gateway/DLSPublic/LevylimitPublicReport/LevylimitPublic 

Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA) all bond issues  - https://emma.msrb.org/IssuerHomePage/Issuer?id=E5C52B375BFD42B94F4682406FBF4A9F