By Khalida Sarwari
It was an exciting weekend on the East Coast for Evan Low. Campbell’s young vice mayor returned to his home state with yet another title to add to his résumè: president of an Asian Pacific American constituency group.
Low was elected president of the Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials during a business meeting on March 11 at the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C.
After a two-year stint as vice president, Low will take the reins as president of the group, which was established in 1985 to provide Asian Pacific American city officials with a platform to share ideas and develop leadership experience.
The vice mayor is joining a 10-member APAMO board that explores solutions to problems, debates policy issues and contributes to the success of American cities and towns. Other notable officials from the Bay Area include Sue Chan, a Fremont councilwoman who serves as a vice president; San Jose councilwoman Madison Nguyen, who is the group’s treasurer; and Gilbert Wong, a councilman in Cupertino whom Low is replacing as APAMO’s president.
Asked what he hopes to accomplish in his new capacity, Low indicated promoting civic engagement is at the top of the list. He said one of his goals is to recruit people to serve on a board or commission or even run for public office.
“America provides opportunities for people to live here,” Low said, “so it’s time for people equally to give back.”
Low joined APAMO in 2008 to help encourage people in underserved communities to become engaged in the civic process and also to get the needs of those people heard by the federal government.
“It is important for me that the interests of local communities are represented on the state and federal level,” said Low. “If we don’t advocate for cities at the state and federal level, then we won’t have a seat at the table.”
Low said he would identify the needs of Asian Pacific American communities, which may include having access to language services or health care. But, generally all cities face similar problems and it is important that state and federal entities know and understand what those are, especially now with the loss of redevelopment agencies, said Low.
It’s important, he said, to ensure that cities have enough funds and resources for necessities such as local roads, infrastructure and public safety.
With other states and countries competing with Silicon Valley, retaining jobs in the area is also crucial, Low said, because many of Campbell’s residents work for high-tech companies.
“The main discussion right now in Silicon Valley is, ‘How can we be competitive in the global economy? Rather than outsourcing jobs, how can we keep jobs here locally?’ ” Low said. “I want to make sure that our Campbell residents keep their jobs.”
