Naomi Lin -Week 3 - Shifts In Power
Our current mayor, Lily Mei, is running for state senator in 2022, despite the fact that her term is not over until 2024. So who is she? Why would she want to switch her position mid-term and what are the differences between these two positions?
Lily Mei is the first Asian American and female mayor of Fremont, and is a part of the Democratic party. She was previously a two-term board trustee for the FUSD, a member of the housing and community development committee, and the president of APISBMA. Under her leadership, Fremont won a multitude of awards, such as the “Most Inclusive City” and “Happiest City.”
The mayor takes care of more local things and things that involve improving the quality of life in their respective areas. They manage the police and fire departments, housing, recreation, and public works. On the other hand, the state senate can create laws that impact the entire state. They also manage the taxes and pass bills.
Lily Mei said that the reason why she wants to become senator is because she thinks that her current leadership is successful and she wants to “bring local leadership and results to California’s statewide challenges”(Mei).
As a candidate for senator, her main goals are to address homelessness, improve housing and jobs, increase wildfire preparedness, help the public schools, and create a safe environment for all people. She claims that her model to help the homeless in Fremont was successful, and wants to implement the model throughout California. She also wants to expand affordable housing and create more jobs, while also reducing income inequality. Since California is at high risk for wildfires, she wants to invest in wildfire prevention and take action against the climate change that is a cause of the wildfires. Additionally, after serving on the school board, she has a good understanding of what she wants to do for schools in California and how to improve them. She also aims to represent people of color, LGBT, and immigrants in the senate to create a more equal society.
info from
https://lilymei.org
Comments
Upon reading your blog, I learned so many things about Fremont and its leadership that I hadn’t known of before! Lily Mei’s achievements are a huge milestone for both female Asian Americans and Fremont—we’re the “Most Inclusive City” and the “Happiest City?” That’s crazy! I wholeheartedly believe that Mei can go on to achieve greater things as a state senator, although the idea of Mei leaving her position as mayor concerns me as to who will be the next Fremont mayor. I hope they can live up to Mei’s name and that Mei may bring greater successes to statewide affairs!
-Angel
It’s really cool how you have so much knowledge about the leaders of Fremont. I am absolutely terrible at political knowledge, and have no interest in it. I find it really good that such an open-minded female is going to become the mayor of Fremont. I really wish that more leaders had this kind of mindset (cough cough Donald Trump). I think that the future of Fremont looks bright if Lily Mei continues to have this sort of outlook.
My parents always were shocked about how Fremont was considered one of the “Happiest Cities” so many times. Honestly, I was so surprised as well! I heard good things about Lily Mei as a leader for Fremont and she is such an icon for Asian Americans as a female mayor. She would definitely be an awesome state senator and hopefully, whoever the next mayor of Fremont could be, will follow her footsteps!
I really liked how you used a real-life example to explain power. I found your blog interesting because I do remember hearing about Lily Mei like a long time ago but I never really knew who she was tbh. I also knew that Fremont was the happiest city (which is lwk kinda unbelievable). Her use of evidence strengthens her argument.
Sicerely,
Mrinmayee
I enjoyed reading your post. I did not have a lot of knowledge on Lily Mei before reading this post since I usually spend more time reading about national or international politics, and I am glad I was able to learn more. I was surprised to learn that Fremont had been awarded the “most inclusive city” and the “happiest city,” and Mei’s accomplishments sound very impressive. I do wonder, though, how these awards were determined and what area was Fremont termed the happiest city of. For instance, was this award for the happiest city in Alameda County or the happiest city in the Bay Area?
Although I basically live under a rock when it comes to politics, Lily Mei sounds like a great candidate for state senator! Mei will be able to reach out to even more people with the responsibility and position if she becomes state senator. I also found it really cool how she is the first Asian American mayor in Fremont! America definitely needs not only more Asian representation but just cultural diversity in politics more! Lily Mei is a great example of what to do when given a position of power. She has helped people, the system, and identified what needs to be improved for a better Fremont! It’s amazing how Fremont is named the happiest city (hmm kinda skeptical about that) and it just goes on to show how with the right people good changes can be brought about.
Sincerely,
Faith Tong