Four years ago I ran for Chandler City Council with the platform of bringing in fiscal accountability, economic opportunity, and quality of life to city administration and the residents’ lives. As an elected official, the interests and needs of the community remained at the forefront of my mind and have driven all my decisions. As promised, I was able to serve with passion, promoting our existing programs and leading with a vision to take Chandler to the next level.
I am honored to have been Chandler’s first Asian City Councilmember. I often benefitted from my international background when presented with challenges. It provided me with a different perspective and unique, innovative solutions. I have advocated for various diversity programs that celebrate the rich cultures in our community, including the Chandler International Film Festival and the creation of the first Asian Village at the annual Multicultural Festival. Along with Mayor and Council I am so proud of the initiatives I have supported that benefit the quality of life not only for our current residents, but for generations to come, including:
- Completing the New Square project after several attempts in 23 years;
- Acting as Vice Chair to Chandler’s Census Complete Count Committee, aiding in the achievement of one of the highest response rates in the East Valley at nearly 75%;
- Creating the table tennis programming and funding equipment at both downtown Community Center and the Tumbleweed Recreation Center;
- Advocating for additional resources for our libraries, including the Early Literacy Spaces that launched in 2019;
- Finding dollars to build a shade structure for the toddler area at Nozomi Aquatic Center;
- Supporting economic development projects that have created and retained thousands of job within our community and added millions of square feet to our office and industrial portfolio;
- Keeping our City fiscally accountable and responsible, resulting in continued AAA Bond Ratings;
- Starting and finishing the construction of the new Chandler Museum;
- Completing all the planned parks.
Through my service on the City Council Subcommittees of Community Services, Economic Development, Neighborhood Resources and Cultural Development; and Airport, Development Services, Public Works and Utilities and Transportation Policy, I focused on updating ordinances and master plans to better reflect the needs of our community. Notable projects include the creation of the Historic Preservation Ordinance, the Multigenerational Feasibility Study and updates to the Airport and Parks Master Plans.
I was also fortunate to serve on regional committees such as the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Domestic Violence Council, where I could be an advocate for not only Chandler residents but residents across the state.
In these four years Chandler has experienced an exceptionally prosperous period. We have developments on virtually every street. City revenue continues growing. We were able to lower City taxation three times in a row. I feel so fortunate and humbled to be a part of these great achievements. I will continue to be an advocate for Chandler’s prosperity after my term ends and look forward to what the future holds for me. Thank you, Chandler for four great years.
This article also appeared in the Dec. 20, 2020 edition of the SanTan Sun News.