HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 01-20 A Millennial for Maplewood MAPLEWOOD REVIEW3/16/2016 A Millennial for Maplewood I Lillie Suburban Newspapers - LillieNews.com
A Millennial for Maplewood
Submitted by admin on Wed, 01/20/2016 - 12:00am
By: Elizabeth Jaeger
l ala n. aaod's newly elected ted a;aaa. ncil members 7bu Xiong, left, and Bryn
Smith were welcomed with a reception at city hall before being sworn in at
the council ass ting Ja n, 11, (/....in a Baa. mist's rlReview)
Throughout its 59 years, the Maplewood City Council has seen many faces come and go.
There have been retirees, corporate leaders, lawyers, community activists, homemakers and business owners on the council.
Some of their tenures have stretched past the decade mark, while others served only briefly.
Despite this varied history, Maplewood attained a new first Jan. 11 with the swearing in of Tou Xiong. He is the city council's
first Hmong member and its first Millenial.
He was the top vote -getter in the November general election, and came into office alongside fellow newcomer Bryan Smith.
A family first
Although family has always been a big part ofXiong's life, he admits they were not a big part of his decision to run for city
council.
But they were supportive of him throughout the process, even though it was first time they'd ever been involved in a
campaign. Xiong 25, says he got the whole family on board to help him run his campaign, from brothers and sisters to nieces
and nephews.
Even though they weren't a politically active family, Xiong says that his parents always encouraged community service. This
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led to getting involved in volunteering when he was just 14.
He remembers helping on campaigns in south Maplewood and Woodbury.
Even though he wasn't old enough to vote, Xiong's interestwas piqued. Volunteering for political campaigns gave him insight
into how the system worked. He recalls that at the time, "it was so cool to see people just one phone call away from
senators."
From there, Xiong's desire to give back to the community only grew. Having lived in Maplewood for over 12 years, he wanted
to find a way to enrich the community. Running for city council seemed like an appropriate choice.
He works as a legislative clerk with the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. He also worked for Minnesota Legal Aid and the
Public Health Law Center. He is serving as a trustee on the Ramsey County Library Board of Directors and as a member of
the DFL Senate District 53 executive committee.
Xiong is a graduate of St. Cloud State with a degree in economics, and William Mitchell College of Law. His parents were
refugees from Laos, and he is the eldest of three sisters and four brothers.
Fresh ideas
Xiong does not see his youth as a hindrance. Rather, he says that residents seemed excited to hear from him and the
response during his campaign was largely positive.
"I hope that my age will help encourage younger folks to come out and participate in city government," he explains.
One of the many things he hopes to accomplish is to show all Maplewood residents, and especially Millennials, that local
government impacts their everyday lives and to encourage them to get involved.
With his Hmong heritage and youth, Xiong brings a fresh perspective to the city council, one that has been underrepresented
in the past. "I believe I can provide a new look into what the city can become," Xiong stresses.
Infrastructure was an issue that Xiong emphasized on the campaign trail. He says it's important that the city be ready for
changes that might need to be made. Streets in particular should be maintained and improved, Xiong says, since quality
roads give a city a leg up when it's competing for large development projects.
During his time in office, Xiong would like to increase civic engagement. He hopes that he will be able to show the diverse
Maplewood residents that they can get involved. As a 25 -year-old, he also hopes to set a positive example for the younger
generation to participate.
Xiong is proud of his Hmong heritage and all that it has taught him. While campaigning, he says he emphasized, "I am happy
to be the Hmong candidate, but I am the Maplewood candidate, first and foremost."
Elizabeth Jaeger can be reached at eiaeger@lillienews.com or at 651-748-7814.
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