Taipei mayor-elect Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said that he aims to fulfill his policy promise that the Taipei Dome would start operations within a year.
Chiang made the remarks at an administration transition meeting at Taipei City Hall at the invitation of Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).
Ko said the handover of the mayorship involves the transfer of 24 major projects that are monitored by the mayor or department heads, as well as other departmental operations.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
As the Taipei Dome project is No. 1 on the list of 24 major projects, Chiang was asked if he is confident that he can resolve many of the project’s residual problems.
Chiang said that he would negotiate with the central government to ensure its safety and engineering quality.
His team would try to begin operations at the Taipei Dome within a year, as the central government has already finished the fire safety review, Chiang said, adding that if trial operations start in June next year, the grand opening could be held in September.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Ko said that as soon as Chiang has appointed his department heads, the city government would arrange for officials to provide reports on major projects.
He said that the city government put a lot of effort into handling the COVID-19 pandemic over the past three years, but as it has slowed, the next most important goal is to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
The city council passed the net zero emission self-government ordinance in June, while departments have outlined implementation plans, so the only task left is to execute them, Ko said.
The most difficult part of the job is ensuring fiscal discipline, which requires great willpower, as it is natural for politicians to want to please voters and spend more, he said.
Ko also said the new government should be aware that debts need to be paid, and just as the Taipei Dome project, the Shezidao (社子島) peninsula development and illegal housing issues at Dawan north section (大彎北段) in Zhongshan District (中山) must be resolved.
“When governing, we must think what kind of Taiwan we want to leave for our next generation, and work toward that,” he said. “When dealing with controversial policies, imagine looking back 50 years from now and you will clearly know what decision to make.”
Chiang invited Ko to attend Taipei’s New Year’s Eve countdown party.
Ko said he would not have attended the countdown parties in the past if he had not been the mayor, so he would prefer not to attend this year.
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