As the City of Monterey Park ushers in the new year, it also welcomes its new mayor, Thomas Wong. Holding its mayoral installation ceremony on February 20, the city transitioned from former mayor, Jose Sanchez to new mayor, Wong, with Vinh T. Ngo as Mayor Pro Tem. Within Monterey Park, there are five council members representing five different districts of the city with a new mayor being selected every nine and a half months. Mayor Wong represents District 1.
Wong, 36, is currently the youngest member of the Monterey Park City Council. He began his political career at 24 years old when he first ran for elected office on the San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors and has been continually involved in his community since. He was first inspired to enter politics when interning under Congressman Henry Waxman. Witnessing the changes brought on by, then-President Barack Obama and the political turmoil of the 9/11 tragedy, Wong was able to see the power of government, inspiring his dedication to public service and community development.
“I [had] just discovered how the office works and some of the constituent support work the office was doing, and that was my glimpse into government a little bit more.” Wong delved into his origins of politics, “that year happened to be the 2008 presidential election, so for me, as the young person, seeing the transformational aspect of Obama winning office woke me up to opportunities of government and service. Although, I wouldn’t know what that would entail for me yet, it opened my eyes to exploring more public policy work and government work.”
Mayor Wong also stands as the first Burmese elected official in the entire nation. Using his experience as a second generation immigrant, he is able to focus and prioritize his work, dedicating his time and advocacy towards our immigrant community. He hopes his position inspires immigrant youth and others of minority descent to actively participate in the community. Furthermore, as one of the few elected officials who identifies as LGBTQ+, Mayor Wong is able to proudly utilize his service and leadership in the community to create greater awareness, provide more opportunities, and deepen community acceptance. Wong hopes to encourage more youth involvement by listening to what Monterey Park’s youth has to say.
“We want to make sure that [all] those perspectives are included,” Wong shares on youth involvement. “[I’d] love to hear what young people have to say. Those kind of ideas would be great to have. We’re looking for that kind of input [and] feedback in all our planning, because we value that input, and we want to make sure that we’re planning for current needs, but also future needs.”
A large part of why Mayor Wong entered politics and public service is because he didn’t see his priorities and needs reflected in his community. He encourages people who feel similarly to enter the discussion through participating in community activities, taking on leadership roles, speaking at city council meetings, and voting. Leadership roles consist of more than being an elected official. For example, Monterey Park residents can join commissions with the city and work directly with department heads to improve the community. If you’re interested in speaking or sharing your voice at a Monterey Park City Council meeting, you can do so by attending the meetings, which occur every first and third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m.
