Taipei Department of Tourism and Information Commissioner Chien Yu-yan (簡余晏) yesterday said that she had informed Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) of her intention to resign from her post on Monday evening.
Chien was a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilor before she joined Ko’s election campaign in 2014. She helped him win the Taipei mayorship and became department commissioner when Ko took office.
She would be the 23rd department head to have resigned from Ko’s administration if her resignation is approved.
Photo: CNA
Local media yesterday reported that Chien resigned because she had offended high-ranking officials in the city government with her straightforward attitude, or because she has obtained low rankings in employee satisfaction surveys over the past three years.
Chien yesterday said she has been commissioner for three years, and many major projects were accomplished through the hard work of the department, but added that “it is time to get some rest.”
She rejected the rumor that she had conflicts with other officials, saying that opinions toward policies might differ.
There have been more adversities than good times in her career, so different opinions can be discussed, she added.
Chien said that she waited until the city’s budget reviews were completed, and that she wants to rest and spend time with her parents in Nantou.
She thanked her coworkers, Ko and Taipei residents for supporting her over the past few years.
Ko yesterday said that Chien’s main reason for resigning is exhaustion.
Her department had put in more overtime than any other department over the past year, as there were many major projects that needed attention, he said.
“I have asked Taipei Deputy Mayor Chen Chin-jun (陳景峻), who is in charge of supervising the department, to persuade her to stay,” Ko said, adding that he told her she could rest for a month.
Ko rejected the reports that Chien resigned because of her low employee satisfaction ratings, saying that the heads of departments that do a lot of hard work usually have lower satisfaction ratings.
Having different opinions in a group is normal, because he believes in allowing diversity and openness in politics, Ko said.
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