The government sent its congratulations yesterday to Taiwan-born Hsueh Shing-fu (薛信夫) for his overwhelming win in the mayoral election in West Windsor, in central New Jersey, on Tuesday.
Hsueh, 56, a graduate of National Taiwan University, moved to the US in 1969. He received his PhD in chemical engineering from Rutgers University in New Jersey and joined the New Jersey state government after graduation. He was also elected as city councilor three times with more than 60 percent of the votes each time. He also served as speaker of the city council for four years.
Hsueh won 62 percent of the votes in Tuesday's election, setting the record as the mayor who garnered the highest votes since West Windsor began holding elections for mayor in 1993.
Hsueh said that he was "surprised" to win by such a large margin. In retrospect, he said his path to politics has indeed been a tough and winding one, and during the process he has experienced the bitter taste of being discriminated against.
West Windsor, which houses Sarnaff, the first high-tech research center for television in the US, has a population of around 23,000 with ethnic Asians accounting for 23 percent. Most of the citizens in the city are professionals.
Hsueh attributed his wide support to his devotion to the problems of the community, and his active participation in volunteer activities. He works as a volunteer in senior centers every Friday, adding that his "tenacity to move forward" has won him the trust of others.
Hsueh, a native of Tainan, still has his brothers and sisters in Taiwan. He said that he has planned to return to Taiwan for a visit, but as his oldest son is to get married in June, he has had to postpone the trip until next year.
Hsueh is expected to assume the new post on July 1. He said that he would work toward ethnic harmony, lower the real estate tax and address the problems of worsening traffic during his four-year term.
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