Kaohsiung mayor tops Taiwan satisfaction survey

2015/06/01

Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chu is the best performer among the heads of Taiwan’s six special municipalities, according to a survey released May 28 by local magazine Global Views Monthly.

Chen, who scored 79.1, is trailed by Tainan City Mayor William Lai at 78.8, Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je at 74.6, New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu at 68.4, Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan at 68 and Taichung City Mayor Lin Chia-lung at 67.3.

Now in her ninth year as mayor of the southern Taiwan port city, Chen also leads the satisfaction list with a record 81.4 percent. She pipped Lai at 80.7 percent, a score raising eyebrows in some quarters given his ongoing battles with city councilors.

Niu Tse-hsun, associate professor and an expert in government public relations at Taipei-based Chinese Culture University, said the impressive numbers posted by Chen and Lai underscore the value of a city head giving residents a sense of pride.

Echoing Niu’s remarks, Lee Chang-yian, a professor in national policy and public affairs at Taichung-headquartered National Chung Hsing University, said Lai enjoys a positive perception among his constituents that is not easily affected by a single incident.

Of the heads of Taiwan’s 16 other cities and counties, Hualien County Magistrate Fu Kun-chi finished No. 1 with 74.9. He is trailed by outlying Lienchiang County Magistrate Liu Cheng-ying and Kinmen County Chen Fu-hai in that order. Hsinchu City Mayor Lin Chih-chien brought up the rear.

Last year’s local government elections saw the opposition Democratic Progressive Party win 13 special municipalities, cities and counties, covering 61.7 percent of the nation’s population. The ruling Kuomintang took six and independents claimed three.

Surprisingly, the poll revealed that the three independents are among the most outstanding performers, while the worst are all from the DPP.

According to the magazine, this trend show that the public is returning to the basics when it comes to rationally assessing the performances of local governments.

Conducted via telephone March 10 to April 19, the survey comprises valid responses from 14,388 adults with a confidence level of 95 percent. It assesses performances on the basis of economy and employment, education, environmental protection, leisure activity and tourism, medical services, police services, public safety and transportation.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=230935&ctNode=413)