Saturday, November 12, 2011

AsianWeek Interviews With San Francisco’s Mayoral Candidates: Tony Hall

With Asian Americans comprising approximately one-third of the city’s population, the next mayor of San Francisco should have plans to address issues relevant to this robust community.
To ensure that they do, AsianWeek.com has invited all of the 16 mayoral candidates–including six well qualified and prominent Asian Americans: Mayor Ed Lee, California State Senator Leland Yee, Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting, President of the Board of Supervisors David Chiu, Public Defender Jeff Adachi, Wilma Pang a longtime community activist and college professor–to share with our readers their solutions to what they deem the most prevalent problems in the Asian American community.
Beginning Oct. 24, 2011 and leading up to the Nov.8 election, AsianWeek.com will be highlighting a different mayoral candidate.
Featured in this installment is former  Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Tony Hall.

1. What is (are) the greatest health issue(s) facing Asian American Pacific Islanders (API’s) and what will you do as mayor to address it (them)?
a. Unsanitary and crowded living conditions. As Mayor, I will conduct a survey and create a recommendation board to ensure that we draft the best policy to improve these shortcomings.
2. Why should Asian American voters choose you as their next mayor?
I have over 30 years experience in public service for the people of San Francisco, both as a Supervisor, and working closely with some of our great mayors as an administrator. I know what San Francisco can be: a thriving community of neighborhoods as diverse as its people-working together for the common good.  Since I left city service in 2004, I have watched San Francisco turning in the wrong direction as special interests and insider agendas have put politics over people. I am running for Mayor because San Francisco needs a working Mayor who isn’t running for higher office, but is simply focused on doing the people’s business with transparency and openness.  Specifically, I will fight for education, jobs, homeownership and small business to ensure our city is headed in the right direction.
3. What type of relationships do you have with San Francisco’s Asian American community?
a. I have a very positive working relationship with the Asian American community in San Francisco because they know that when they are working with Tony Hall, they’ll always get the truth.
4. What are some prevalent problems in SF’s Asian American community?
a. San Francisco’s Asian American community is crippled by backroom deals and systemic corruption.
5. How do you plan on responding to these problems?
a. The remedy to this dilemma starts with honest and open government. If elected, I will do everything in my power to root out this systemic corruption and give this city back to its people. I will recruit and build a farm team of young San Franciscans whose hearts, desires, and talents are matched with their ability to serve the people. I’ll also create an Office of Investigations, modeled after the 40 year-old office in New York, that will be dedicated to ferreting out fraud, waste, and abuse in city spending.  Finally, I will re-constitute the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer as intended by the 1932 Charter with authority and oversight of all administrative function.

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