Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) took office as Taipei mayor yesterday, pledging to deal with the long-drawn out Taipei Dome problem, traffic congestion in Neihu District (內湖) and urban renewal issues as soon as possible.
At an inauguration ceremony at Taipei City Hall in the morning, Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) stepped down after eight years as mayor and handed the mayor’s seal over to Chiang, the youngest Taipei mayor ever elected.
It was Taipei’s eighth inauguration ceremony to swear in a mayor.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Ko said he advised Chiang’s administrative team that when facing tough choices, they should imagine themselves looking back to the present from 50 years in the future and the answer would be clear.
Ko said he hopes Chiang and his administrative team would uphold honesty and integrity in governance.
Most importantly, they should not sacrifice long-term interests for short-term ones, nor sacrifice the majority’s interests for those of a few people, or sacrifice national interests for party interests, he said.
The Taipei City Council in June passed self-governance regulations to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, which would be an important task for Chiang, he said.
In his inaugural address, Chiang said he has taken on the important task of guiding Taipei forward.
He understands that amid competition from international cities and facing an ever-changing global situation, a city that does not move forward would fall behind, so he would always strive to be better, Chiang said.
His team would pursue “four windows of opportunity”: making Taipei a prosperous city; making it a city where talented people would be willing to stay and could pursue creative endeavors; renewing Taipei to make it a modern city with more environmentally friendly buildings; and promoting Taipei’s local features and urban tourism to make it a charming city with cultural heritage, he said.
Chiang said he would meet with city departments to understand their needs and collect their opinions, and enable administrative operations to run smoothly.
He would speed up the handling of the Taipei Dome project, the Neihu traffic problem and urban renewal issues, he said.
Chiang reiterated his promise to finish the Taipei Dome construction project within a year of taking office, as well as resolve traffic congestion that has long been a serious concern for Neihu residents.
He has also pledged new urban renewal policies to Taipei residents, so he must get to work as soon as possible, Chiang said.
Newly elected and re-elected mayor and county commissioners nationwide were also sworn in yesterday.
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