This year’s election in Columbia is very competitive. Here is a summary of all village elections and CA board election. Since the CA president is interim, the next new board will determine who will be the next CA president.
This in-person Candidate Forum at The Hawthorn Center will feature candidates for the Hickory Ridge Village Board and the Hickory Ridge Representative to the Columbia Association Board. Residents may submit questions for candidates as they enter the Forum. As many questions will be answered as time will allow. Masks are strongly-recommended for this event.
学区重划也是对我们华裔影响非常大的议题。2019年因为有些学校过度拥挤，要进行全郡范围的学区重划。8月底学监提出的学区重划方案要挪动将近7400个学生，对我们华裔社区的影响尤其大。我立即推出自己的解决方案，以学生为本，只须挪动3000多学生就可以解决学校过度拥挤问题，尽量减少对学生的影响。可惜那一年我们在BOE没有足够的票数支持我的方案，我们不得不从另外一个教育委员的挪动9000多学生的方案开始。在形势不利的情况下，我通过反复努力和修改，从他们要挪动9000多人，改动到只挪动5000多人。当时我已经尽了最大努力，可惜我们没有足够的票数，来通过我当时提出的挪动3000人的方案。学区重划期间，还发生了一起华裔家庭被骂“go back to Asia” 恶性事件，我随即在接下来的一个board meeting 上严厉谴责了这种种族歧视行为。
除了完成BOE日程安排，我还在做推动亚裔历史进入公校教程的努力。2022年二月BOE开会，我单独把支持增加亚裔历史的州立法拿出来投票；并带头在全国性的杂志National School Board Association Journal撰文: 亚裔历史也是美国历史， https://chaowu.org/2021/07/13/aapi-history-is-american-history/。2021年当选为Maryland Association of Board of Education的board member以来，我一直呼吁增加亚裔历史教育。最近正在跟National School Board Association交涉，要求他们重视亚裔教育委员们的声音，从而成立AAPI council. 我们需要时时努力争取话语权，团结可以团结的力量，才能提升我们的现状。
It is my great honor and pleasure to be a new board member of Howard County Board of Education.
I first would like to thank my family here, my wife, my daughter and my son. Without their support, I would not be able to volunteer at all in the community many years ago. When I first served on the River Hill Village Board, my daughter was 2 years old and my son was not born yet. It is my wife who really managed everything well and smoothly. I own every thanks to her.
I am speaking in Chinese for a few seconds. 我非常感谢我的家庭，我的太太，女儿和儿子。我开始在社区做志愿者活动的时候，我女儿才两岁左右，我儿子还没有出生。是我老婆在家里忙上忙下，使得今天的一切才成为可能。我感谢她为这个家庭所作出的牺牲和努力。十八年前，我和她在中国合肥相识，现在我们两个人远离故土，这个美丽的哈维郡安家乐业，希望我们彼此支持，携手向前。
I would like to thank my campaign team and my volunteer team. It is their strongest support which made today possible. They believed in me and usually dragged in their whole family (their children and their parents) to support my campaign, whether in the sunshine or in the pouring rain. They helped dropping the literature and greeting voters. They helped organizing greet and meet. They helped funding my event, donating money to my campaign. They sent me many great advices. They put a yard sign in front of their house. Or they simply showed up in my event. Majority of them had never done this before. It was their first time really devoted to a campaign activity because we all believe great education is the bridge to success for our younger generation.
Eventually every little support helped. We won number 4 out of 13 candidates in the primary election in June. We won the second place out of 8 eight candidates in the general election in November. I am so proud of you and you should also be very proud of yourself. We should be proud of ourselves. We set a goal, worked really hard and made it. It is a victory for all of us.
Finally I would like to thank our voters who casted their votes for me. No endorsement is better than our voters’ trust. As an independent candidate and non-partisan election, I received 54,254 votes from our voters in our county. You believed in my vision for the school system. and you listened to my personal stories. Thank you for your trust.
In the following four years, I am looking forward to working with all other board members, teachers, school staff, our students, parents and other stakeholders. We would try our best to provide quality education for all our students. Keep an open mind, improve the decision and communication process and seek a command ground for common sense solutions for our school system.
2015年4月，我平生第一次参加了我们社区选举，抱着一岁多的儿子挨家挨户的争取选票。之后我荣幸当选Columbia Association（CA）的Council Representative and Board of Director。CA覆盖大约十万居民，每年财政预算大约七千万。由于我的加入，使得我们当地居民更加了解社区的发展动态。同时我也带头启动了江苏溧阳友好城市的项目，希望人与人的交流促进中美的友谊。当年九月份，我又和哈维郡其他几位父母们成立了哈维郡华裔父母联合会。我们只是期望能够公平的被对待，所以继续推动农历新年加入到公立学校日历。我们举办青少年领袖俱乐部培训，希望通过类似的项目，让我们的孩子为自己自豪和自信。我们带头参加，同时鼓励华裔家长多参加学校和社区的会议，发出自己的声音。
我要竞选2018马里兰哈维郡的学区委员
2017年9月9日，我开始了人生的新的挑战 我要竞选2018马里兰哈维郡的Board of Education。以前从来没有第一代移民成功过，第一代华人就更少了。我们大部分华人，努力工作，正常缴税，认真养孩子，安安静静的过日子，不惹事，多躲着，与世无争。同时我们拼命努力让孩子学习再学习，各种课外活动满满的。我们特别重视孩子的教育，省吃俭用，各种学习班却舍得花钱；希望他们考上一个好大学，从此幸福一生一世。
参与社会，发出声音。捐钱，投票，是美国社会的一种常态。作为后来者，我们更应该加入这种常态，发热发光，照亮我们后代的前程。我们要以理直气壮的心态，参与这个社会，推动有利于我们的变革。只有当哪一天，“Kill all Chinese to pay US debt”的言论不被言论自由庇护，而是受到一致谴责的时候，我们才能够稍微歇一口气。
希望我们携手，共同开创未来。我是你们的声音，你们是我的力量。请支持我2018年Howard County Board of Education的竞选。敬请登陆我的竞选网站 www.chaowu.org，和捐款网页 www.chaowu.org/donate，你的每一条建议，每一分捐款和每一张选票，都将有力的助我把平等，自由，博爱的信念，散播到公共事务中去。
Picture was taken by Singtao Daily reporter Mr. Bin Li. Speaking at a drama at HCC. 在Howard Community College“爬藤”话剧之后的讲话。
