What Should Kaohsiung’s Next Mayor Bring? Chen Chi-mai Sets Out His Criteria

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai said the city’s next leader should be judged by whether they can secure budgets, speak from Kaohsiung’s perspective and stand up when the city is criticized or targeted by false rumors.

Chen gave the assessment in response to questions from Democratic Progressive Party city councilor Lin Chih-cheng about the qualities required of the next Kaohsiung mayor. He said the most important quality was the ability to work together with Kaohsiung and its people.

“

Whether they have secured budgets for Kaohsiung, whether they have spoken from Kaohsiung's standpoint, whether they have stood up to defend Kaohsiung when it was smeared, and most importantly, whether they can work hard together with Kaohsiung.

Chen described the city as moving away from its heavy-industrial past toward a high-tech and livable urban economy. He said that transformation reflected years of collective effort and had begun to position Kaohsiung as a hub in Taiwan’s semiconductor S-shaped corridor.

He also thanked Lin, fellow councilor Chiu Chun-hsien and Council Speaker Kang Yu-cheng for helping address needs in Kaohsiung’s Sanshan area. Chen said the city had moved beyond an era of pessimistic slogans and now needed a mayor with vision, resolve and the strength to act.

“

Kaohsiung has long said goodbye to the era of pessimistic slogans. The key to Kaohsiung's future development is a mayor with vision, determination and resolve, and most importantly, one who can work hard together with Kaohsiung.