National Chenchi University professor Chou Li-fang (周麗芳) yesterday was appointed Taipei’s third deputy mayor, following a two-month search.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) praised Chou’s academic and administrative experience, expressing his confidence in her ability to shoulder responsibility for departments including education, labor, sports and cultural affairs, as well as events such as the 2016 World Design Capital and 2017 Universiade.
In addition to her academic career, Chou has served as director of the university’s Office of Research and Development and deputy chief executive of the National Health Insurance Administration.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
While Ko’s first two deputy mayors were appointed in December last year, his search for a third has been held up for almost two months after he was unable to find a willing candidate with strong corporate executive experience, something he earlier attributed to the low pay offered by the municipal government.
“Teachers do not make very much in the first place,” he said yesterday in response to question on whether Chou’s salary had been a sticking point.
Taipei spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) said that Chou was chosen from among 56 valid candidates who applied online in response to a Facebook post by Ko.
“I am someone who is willing to face challenges,” Chou said when asked why she accepted the position, adding that she was drawn to the position because of her desire to outline a cultural vision for the capital’s future.
On coordinating the 2017 Universiade, Chou said she would emphasize frugality and honing the event’s message.
“We hope to economize as much as possible, while still maximizing the benefits of the event,” she said.
“When the competitors come to Taiwan, aside from the competition itself, we hope they will serve as bees that carry back a rich pollen of memories to their home countries, aiding our diplomacy,” she said.
Chou is viewed as pan-blue due to her title of “special researcher” to the National Policy Foundation, a think tank associated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
A woman who allegedly spiked the food and drinks of an Australian man with rat poison, leaving him in intensive care, has been charged with attempted murder, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. The woman, identified by her surname Yang (楊), is accused of repeatedly poisoning Alex Shorey over the course of several months last year to prevent the Australian man from leaving Taiwan, prosecutors said in a statement. Shorey was evacuated back to Australia on May 3 last year after being admitted to intensive care in Taiwan. According to prosecutors, Yang put bromadiolone, a rodenticide that prevents blood from
A Japanese space rocket carrying a Taiwanese satellite blasted off yesterday, but was later seen spiraling downward in the distance as the company said the launch attempt had failed. It was the second attempt by the Japanese start-up Space One to become the country’s first private firm to put a satellite into orbit, after its first try in March ended in a mid-air explosion. This time, its solid-fuel Kairos rocket had been carrying five satellites, including one from the Taiwan Space Agency and others designed by Japanese students and corporate ventures. Spectators gathered near the company’s coastal Spaceport Kii launch pad in Japan’s
RSS