As a child of two cultures, I appreciate diversity. My family and I are from Taiwan, but we moved to Georgia when I was an infant and became US citizens. I was taught at an early age the importance of serving the community and participated in Girl Scouts, eventually earning my Silver and Gold Awards, their highest honors. I attended the University of Illinois and earned a Bachelor’s in political science. It was in college where I volunteered on my first political campaign. It was also in college where I met my husband, Adrian. Like so many others, my husband and I moved to Redmond so he could pursue a career at Microsoft.
In the past few years, Redmond has become a place of abundant diversity. These trends have created a new community that is not currently represented on council. Our council is not lacking experience, rather a member of the next generation who is passionate about service and ready to shoulder responsibility. The most important lesson I learned from my first campaign in college was that city politics is where the real work of the people gets done. That experience from college inspired me to take action in the community I now call home, Redmond.
The issues that are important to me are improving the lines of communication between the community and city council, and having just the right amount of government. City council has the most direct impact on our daily lives; therefore it is especially important that the city provides basic responsibilities without impeding on people’s livelihood. Please visit my website at www.sallyjchen.com to learn more about important issues.
My mother taught me that it is an honor to serve in your community, and that true leadership comes from getting involved.