52.4 F
Milpitas
Friday, February 14, 2025
OpinionA quick peek at the Milpitas City Council race

A quick peek at the Milpitas City Council race

Milpitas voters will be electing two city councilmembers in 2024, and the pair of seats are being sought out by six contenders. Let’s take a quick look at the field…

Evelyn Chua, currently serving as Vice Mayor, hopes to win her re-election campaign for a second term on the Milpitas City Council.

Incumbent Evelyn Chua, our city’s current Vice Mayor, is going after re-election, and to Milpitians is the most familiar name on the list. Chua has served dutifully during her three-plus years as a councilmember, coming up with creative ideas under Mayors Rich Tran and Carmen Montano alike, including our city’s catalytic converter program and opening the Senior Center on Saturdays. Likewise, she’s known for steering clear of side-taking or other forms of divisiveness, yielding her a bright reputation for affability and steadiness. 

Bill Chuan is in the midst of running his first campaign for Milpitas City Council.

Bill Chuan’s on the trail, as well, and he’s been working hard for a seat. A dependable mainstay at countless city events (often by the side of his wife, School Board Trustee Kelly Yip-Chuan) and a familiar face from his years serving on the planning commission, Chuan radiates sincerity and a commitment to service. A former military man and an active family man, Chuan offers natural appeal to two key Milpitas demographics. He’s also tall and handsome and looks the part of the friendly local politician. But to say any candidate running this year has a certain path to victory would be an overreach…

Anu Nakka, current MUSD School Board Trustee, is running for Milpitas City Council.

Anu Nakka is out on the campaign trail, too. A recent presence on the Milpitas school board, were Nakka to win, she’d be cutting her four-year school board term short by two years. As yet, she’s the first-ever Indian-American school board trustee, and if she makes it on the council, she’ll be carrying the same historic distinction there. Given Milpitas’ growing Indian population, it’s only a matter of time before we see more Indian representation in the halls of power. Nakka is a bright, warm presence in the city, presenting the case to the voters that her approach is grounded and her judgment is rock solid.

Planning Commissioner Dipak Awasthi is running his second race for Milpitas City Council.

Dipak Awasthi is part of the same demographic as Nakka, yet brings with him a different style. A good-humored and affable proponent of all things for the good of Milpitas, Awasthi is also familiar to those who attend Milpitas city events. Always up for a chat about politics, psychology, human nature, history, or anything under the sun, one envisions Awasthi embracing a council seat with thundering passion, eager for dialogue en route to strong-minded solutions. Across multiple Milpitas commissions, he’s demonstrated a relish for problem-solving. In seeking elected office he, like Nakka, also has a chance at making history. 

Juliette Gomez is taking her second shot running for a Milpitas City Council seat.

Juliette Gomez is also in the race, bringing a fresh attitude and style that many in Milpitas deem energizing and bold. The good-natured, down-to-Earth Gomez has built a reputation within the Milpitas business community for her generosity and attentiveness. She has served on various commissions and is currently the Vice President of the Milpitas Chamber of Commerce. She doesn’t come with the political background of the candidates above, but she’s with the people and she stands to offer bare-bones leadership skill.

This is William Lam’s first run for Milpitas City Council.

William Lam’s gunning for a seat, as well, and he brings with him deep, long-growing roots in many quarters of the community. He sat on the technology commission. He chaired various councils and committees at MUSD. He’s established a sound reputation as a stable and clean-handed player. Lam’s not a man who glories in attention, but a steward of the public interest with a mind toward getting the job done.

Whoever gets the job done for Milpitas will be chosen come Election Day: Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Please be sure to RSVP for our Sept. 30 City Councilmember Candidate Forum to meet the candidates and learn more about their plans for Milpitas.

-Adverstisement-spot_img
-Adverstisement-spot_img
-Adverstisement-spot_img
-Adverstisement-spot_img
Eric Shapiro
Eric Shapiro
Eric Shapiro is a writer & filmmaker. As a screenwriter, he’s won a Fade In Award and written numerous feature films in development by companies including WWE, Mandalay Sports Media, Game1, and Select Films. He is also the resident script doctor for Rebel Six Films (producers of A&E’s “Hoarders”). As a journalist, Eric’s won a California Journalism Award and is co-owner and editor of The Milpitas Beat, a Silicon Valley newspaper with tens of thousands of monthly readers that has won the Golden Quill Award as well as the John Swett Award for Media Excellence. As a filmmaker, Eric’s directed award-winning feature films that have premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, and Shriekfest, and been endorsed by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Eric’s apocalyptic novella “It’s Only Temporary” appears next to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” on Nightmare Magazine’s list of the 100 Best Horror Novels of All Time. He lives in Northern California with his wife, Rhoda, and their two sons.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here