Last month, Councilmember Evelyn Chua was sworn in to her second term on the Milpitas City Council. The Beat asked her some questions about her plans and hopes for the next four years…
The Milpitas Beat: How do you feel after winning your second term for the city council?
Councilmember Evelyn Chua: I feel a mix of emotions. I am grateful for the overwhelming support of the Milpitas community and relief that the hard work of all the supporters was rewarded. And I am excited to continue serving Milpitas.
MB: What were the things you were most proud of accomplishing during your first term?
EC: Opening the Senior Center on Saturdays and the free use of the gym for
members. I am proud of these accomplishments because it gives all seniors the
opportunity to enjoy the senior facility. I am also proud of the reconstruction of the new fire station on Yosemite and South Park Victoria. It provides the necessary services and protection of the residents and businesses in that neighborhood. I’m equally proud to have initiated Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU), and grants to small businesses of Milpitas.
MB: What are your plans for your second term?
EC: To strengthen public safety, providing adequate police and fire staffing
with equipment, tools, and training. Also, comprehensive recruitment and a robust succession planning for retention. Cities like Oakland, Fremont, and Antioch provide monetary hiring incentives of 50K-100K. Our city does not provide this because we don’t
have a budget but rather our attraction is our culture. My goal is to help
strengthen marketing by showcasing our community values.
I want to increase revenue through grants and through other levels of partnership with the county, state, and federal. I also want to further expand and attract businesses in Milpitas. Moreover, greater scrutiny of the city’s expenses. Where can we cut costs and still be effective in providing city services?
I will also initiate a Community Engagement Group. It will be a group of residents
representing the different parts of the Milpitas. In the last few months of engaging
with the community, there have been multiple common issues and concerns. For
example, issues with street maintenance, potholes, and tree trimmings. The creation of this group will allow residents to have a platform to voice their concerns and issues.
MB: What are the things you might do differently from your first term?
EC: As an elected official, my role is to govern the city through policies. With the
separation of governance from administration in mind, what I would do differently
is to hyper focus on the deliverables and results. With my experience with some
recommendations that I proposed, a few of them have not been addressed; while
others, the results were not what I expected.
MB: What are some lessons you learned from your first term?
EC: To be an effective councilmember, there is a need for hard work, openness,
collaboration, and courage. You must do your homework. It takes a lot of time,
but it is necessary. One must have the mindset of being open to welcome
feedback and evaluate the merits of it. Also, the desire to collaborate to get
things done. Most importantly, the courage to face the approval and criticism of
unpopular votes taken.
MB: What are you looking forward to most during this new term?
EC: I am excited about implementing the “Going Electric Milpitas,” the $3 million
dollar grant from Congressman Ro Khanna. It will enable households to convert
their gas appliances to electric. I am also looking forward to seeing the impact of the newly created Community Housing Commission which I created. I am ecstatic to explore more initiatives that I have in mind!
Lastly, for my second term, I’ll be coming back with: a solid city governance experience, having been an effective Councilmember and Vice Mayor for the last four years; an inherent and innate leadership, a core value of integrity, and proven and measurable delivered results.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our residents for their continued support
and confidence in me. It’s an honor to continue to serve you. Thank you so much.