Young Asian Leader Campaigns for CA Council

By Vivian Po, New America Media

 CAMPBELL, CA - Last year, Evan Low became the youngest Asian-American mayor in the nation. A City Council member in Campbell, where there is no elected mayor, Low, 26, took his turn serving as mayor in 2009. This November, he is vying to keep his seat on the Council, where nine candidates are competing for three open positions. Low is the only Asian candidate for City Council in this city, where 95 percent of the residents are white.
Low, a Chinese American who is also openly gay, was first elected to the Council in 2006 at the age of 23. He says he is confident he will win this year, according to a report by Fanny Chiang and Wei Wei Ren of the Sing Tao Daily. He held a fundraising party on Monday, where State Senator Ellen Corbett and State Assemblywoman Fiona Ma appeared to offer their support.

Low is credited with helping to diversify the local government by appointing Asians and Latinos to city positions. He is using that record to garner support from grassroots community groups for his reelection bid. He is part of a local political cohort that has enjoyed tremendous public support. According to a recent survey by Godbe Research of Half Moon Bay, a whopping 96 percent of Campbell residents say they are satisfied with the work of local elected officials over the last two years.