Public Safety, Building Restraint Top List of Candidate’s Priorities.
More than 200 residents and supporters gathered at the home of former San Marino Mayor Dr. Matthew Lin on Sunday afternoon for the city council campaign kickoff of Dr. Hai-Sou Chen, one of six who have tossed their hat in the ring for three vacant seats at the Tuesday, November 7 election.
Dr. Chen was lauded by eleven residents and colleagues who preceded the candidate to the microphone on the shaded rear patio at Lin’s home. When it was finally his turn to speak, Chen touched upon the major themes of his campaign, which include safety, restraint in the building and remodeling of San Marino’s homes and preserving the way of life for our children, a motto that was printed on several banners throughout the venue.
“The city council is the conduit and if elected I hope to carry the torch of leadership,” said Chen, former chair of San Marino’s Design Review Committee. “The tranquility of life in San Marino. The legacy of San Marino. I hope to preserve this way of life.”
Like the three candidates who held kickoff events the previous weekend, Chen also trounced on a recent rise in home burglaries in San Marino.
“These safety issues affect every one of us,” Chen said. “If elected, I would increase police patrols and we also need to look into getting better equipment for our officers.”
He also said he would conduct “an open dialogue” with the citizens just before the event closed with a chant of “Dr. Chen.”
Chen is the 4th candidate to hold a campaign kickoff event. On Sunday, June 25, Susan Jakubowski, vice chair of the San Marino Planning Commisison, and Calvin Lo, an alternate on the San Marino Traffic Advisory Commission, held an event at the home of Alice and Paul Su while Gretchen Shepherd Romey, a longtime volunteer for the Girl Scouts, welcomed guests to the Hill Harbison House.
Scott Kwong has not yet scheduled a kick-off event. His campaign can be reached at kwong4citycouncil@gmail.com.
Ken Ude told The Tribune that his campaign is in the process of organizing a series of town hall meetings, receptions and a team building event in August. His campaign can be reached at info@kenudeforsanmarino.com.
A filing period for candidates with the San Marino City Clerk begins on July 17 and ends on August 11. The filing period will likely be extended to August 16, as incumbents Dr. Richard Sun, Richard Ward and Dr. Allan Yung have not yet expressed their intention to make a declaration of candidacy.
The election will be held on Tuesday, November 7.
