Sinbei mayor-elect Eric Chu (朱立倫) announced yesterday that former national police chief Hou You-yi (侯友宜) will be one of his deputies, saying that the appointment is part of the administration’s resolve to ensure public safety.
The announcement was made six days before Chu is to be inaugurated as the first mayor of Sinbei City, an area that will be formally upgraded from a county into a special municipality on Saturday.
“Public safety is a foremost concern of the residents and Hou’s appointment is a clear indication that the mayor is determined to maintain social order in the city,” said Lin Chieh-yu (林芥佑), Chu’s spokesman.
Hou is a highly decorated and respected police officer who shot to fame a as result of his involvement in many high-profile cases, including the kidnapping and murder of a famous entertainer’s daughter.
In 2006, he was the youngest person in history to assume the position of director-general of the National Policy Agency, which was followed by his appointment as the head of Central Police University in 2008.
The two other deputy mayor positions will be filled by Deputy Taipei County Commissioner Lee Shu--chuan (李四川) and Deputy Finance Minister Hsu Chih-chien (許志堅).
Former Water Resources Agency director-general Chen Shen-hsien (陳伸賢) has been named as the city government’s secretary-general.
Chu also announced that the municipality’s official name in English would be “New Taipei City.”
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