5 Fil Am women seeking elective posts in US polls
CHICAGO, Illinois – Five Filipino American women are running across the United States for elective positions, two of them as state legislators, to prop up the growing number of Filipino American women in politics and governance in Tuesday’s historic general elections that could elect Sen. Barack Obama as the first African American president.
Chicago-area real estate lawyer Aurora Abella Austriaco, a Democrat endorsed by Senator Obama when she ran for Maine, Illinois Township Trustee in 2006, is running against a Republican incumbent Rosemary Mulligan as representative of the 65th district of Illinois and Conchita Applegate, who is candidate for California State Assembly, District 12.
The other Fil Am women in the hunt for elective posts are Cheryl Moss, who is running for re-election as a District Judge of Las Vegas, Nevada, Myrna Lim, candidate for Supervisor, District 11 (San Francisco), and Noelani Sallings, candidate for Santa Clara, California Unified School Board.
Touting herself as a rookie politician and “fighter for Middle-Class Families" like Senator Obama, the Manila-born Ms. Austriaco, 43, married and mother of two, says she “understands the real-life concerns that families face every day."
She is working for repeal of sales tax increase that will shore up the middle class and restore ethics in state government.
A consultant by profession, Ms. Applegate is a Republican opposing incumbent Democrat Fiona Ma. Both ran unopposed during the primary.
Judge Moss is running for re-election to Family Court, Department “I." During her first term, she initiated a pilot program on problem gambling assessments for parents in child custody case.
According to her Web site, Judge Moss “personally reads all of her assigned files to prepare for court each day, and she tirelessly strives to have decrees and court orders reviewed and signed in an expedited manner. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Clark County Law Library. In addition, she has volunteered her time judging in local, statewide, and national competitions for law students."
Myrna Lim is up against incumbent Gerardo Sandoval for Supervisor, District 11 (San Francisco). The only Asian and one of two women in a field of eight candidates in the race, she is leading in several polls. She has support from the multi-cultural diversity of District comprising 11.46% Filipino and Chinese, 25% Latino, 15% Caucasian, 8% African American.
Myrna’s father is “Rafael Lim, a former District Attorney in the Philippines, (who) moved to the Excelsior (California) in 1969, and worked as a janitor for two years in order to bring his family to America for a better life.
“We bought our house in the District in 1976. My family operated the old Granada Theatre and the old Apollo Theatre," she said.
A graduate student in Psychology and holder of Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Santa Clara (California) University, Noelani Sallings is a candidate for Santa Clara, California Unified School Board. She says she is “a proud product of the south bay public education system and (her) daughter is currently enrolled in Santa Clara Public School system. My strong roots in local education have enabled me to become successful in my personal and professional life. In order to maintain a local standard of excellence, I am running for Santa Clara Unified School Board."
She added, “(i)n order to help the district reach its full potential, I have worked many social outreach programs in the area including Santa Clara Schools foundation, Music Rivals, Nutrition Committee, and Bracher PTA association. My work has enabled countless children to improve their quality of life while enabling them to succeed in the classroom."
There are 17 Filipino American women currently holding elective positions across the nation, including two state senators and several state representatives, according to the Filipino Women's Network.
Velma Veloria is the first Filipina in the continental United States to be elected to a State Legislature (1992), serving 12 years as State Representative for South Seattle’s 11th District. She is the key author of Washington's anti-trafficking legislation in Washington state. - GMANews.TV
Chicago-area real estate lawyer Aurora Abella Austriaco, a Democrat endorsed by Senator Obama when she ran for Maine, Illinois Township Trustee in 2006, is running against a Republican incumbent Rosemary Mulligan as representative of the 65th district of Illinois and Conchita Applegate, who is candidate for California State Assembly, District 12.
The other Fil Am women in the hunt for elective posts are Cheryl Moss, who is running for re-election as a District Judge of Las Vegas, Nevada, Myrna Lim, candidate for Supervisor, District 11 (San Francisco), and Noelani Sallings, candidate for Santa Clara, California Unified School Board.
Touting herself as a rookie politician and “fighter for Middle-Class Families" like Senator Obama, the Manila-born Ms. Austriaco, 43, married and mother of two, says she “understands the real-life concerns that families face every day."
She is working for repeal of sales tax increase that will shore up the middle class and restore ethics in state government.
A consultant by profession, Ms. Applegate is a Republican opposing incumbent Democrat Fiona Ma. Both ran unopposed during the primary.
Judge Moss is running for re-election to Family Court, Department “I." During her first term, she initiated a pilot program on problem gambling assessments for parents in child custody case.
According to her Web site, Judge Moss “personally reads all of her assigned files to prepare for court each day, and she tirelessly strives to have decrees and court orders reviewed and signed in an expedited manner. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Clark County Law Library. In addition, she has volunteered her time judging in local, statewide, and national competitions for law students."
Myrna Lim is up against incumbent Gerardo Sandoval for Supervisor, District 11 (San Francisco). The only Asian and one of two women in a field of eight candidates in the race, she is leading in several polls. She has support from the multi-cultural diversity of District comprising 11.46% Filipino and Chinese, 25% Latino, 15% Caucasian, 8% African American.
Myrna’s father is “Rafael Lim, a former District Attorney in the Philippines, (who) moved to the Excelsior (California) in 1969, and worked as a janitor for two years in order to bring his family to America for a better life.
“We bought our house in the District in 1976. My family operated the old Granada Theatre and the old Apollo Theatre," she said.
A graduate student in Psychology and holder of Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Santa Clara (California) University, Noelani Sallings is a candidate for Santa Clara, California Unified School Board. She says she is “a proud product of the south bay public education system and (her) daughter is currently enrolled in Santa Clara Public School system. My strong roots in local education have enabled me to become successful in my personal and professional life. In order to maintain a local standard of excellence, I am running for Santa Clara Unified School Board."
She added, “(i)n order to help the district reach its full potential, I have worked many social outreach programs in the area including Santa Clara Schools foundation, Music Rivals, Nutrition Committee, and Bracher PTA association. My work has enabled countless children to improve their quality of life while enabling them to succeed in the classroom."
There are 17 Filipino American women currently holding elective positions across the nation, including two state senators and several state representatives, according to the Filipino Women's Network.
Velma Veloria is the first Filipina in the continental United States to be elected to a State Legislature (1992), serving 12 years as State Representative for South Seattle’s 11th District. She is the key author of Washington's anti-trafficking legislation in Washington state. - GMANews.TV
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