From left: Tanya Woo, Michael Le, Nella Kwan, Chuo-Han (Hugo) Yang, and Gei Chan
SEATTLE — The International Special Review District (ISRD) committee is hosting the annual election of its board members. Elections will be held by mail-in ballots only. There will be no in-person voting this year.
Physical ballots must be received by Tuesday, November 15. Community members registered for this election will receive a ballot and a return envelope in the mail. Voters are encouraged to return their ballots early to ensure they are received by the deadline.
There are two board positions available for election:
- 3rd place for business owner, owner or employee
- At-Large Rank #5
Nominations closed on October 18 and the following five candidates were nominated.
Three candidates are looking for a 3rd for a business owner, owner or employee
Michael Owns multiple businesses within the Chinatown International District (CID). He chose to have a business nearby to support community and a sense of belonging. Security and displacement issues are important to him. He wants to make sure the history of the community is not forgotten. He is currently serving his first term on the board.
Ask Wu Growing up in the CID community. She and her family are part of the Louisa Hotel Ownership Group. She was involved in the restoration of the building and the preservation of the historic jazz frescoes. She is active in the community, volunteering for several organizations, including CID Community Watch. She is a current member of the King County Landmarks Commission. She hopes to serve on the board to help preserve CID’s cultural heritage while focusing on how the built environment is used today and how decisions affect the future of the community.
Chuo-Han (Hugo) Yang work nearby. He has two years of residential project development experience and more than five years of real estate development experience with a civil engineering background. He believes his experience will benefit the board and help CID thrive.
Two candidates are looking for 5th at At-Large
Concise Chen A longtime advocate for CID, he has been active in addressing issues affecting the community, including robust bus stop planning and proposed SODO shelters. She speaks Cantonese and understands the issues facing residents and businesses. She is a supporter of the Wing Luke Asian Museum and has participated in the CID night patrol. She hopes to serve on the board to help ensure the community remains vibrant and preserves the deep historical roots of the Asian American community.
at the close Active with the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce since 2013. She helps host and serves as the emcee of community events and family associations.
She is a board member of Jian’an, a Seafair representative, and a member of Asia Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Seattle Center. She sees CID as her second home and hopes to continue to apply her knowledge, understanding of community, and unbiased insights and perspectives in her work on the ISRD Board of Directors. She can speak Mandarin and Cantonese. She is currently serving her first term on the board.
The current board members are Lizzy Baskerville (Vice Chairman), Ryan Gilbert, Nella Kwan, Adrian Lam, Michael Le, Andy Yip (Chairman) and Ming Zhang. Kwan and Le’s terms will end on November 30. Because elections cannot be held in 2020, candidates elected in 2021 for the 3rd and 5th positions will serve only one-year terms to preserve staggered term limits.
