Latest news with #LilyWu
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ethics Board upholds finding against Mayor Lily Wu in proclamation incident
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Wichita Ethics Board has voted to uphold its original decision that Mayor Lily Wu violated part of the City Code of Ethics during a March proclamation for Transgender Day of Visibility. The proclamation was missing Wu's signature and the mayor did not read it aloud at the March 18 city council meeting. At that meeting, Wu 'yielded the floor' to a council member who supported the proclamation. She also stated that proclamations are typically signed electronically by staff and claimed she did not request her signature to be removed. Between March 19 and April 16, the city received 22 ethics complaints against Mayor Wu. Twenty cited the missing signature, and six also took issue with her not reading the proclamation aloud. According to city code, the mayor must sign all proclamations, and the presiding officer is responsible for presenting them. Sedgwick County firefighters weigh in on schedule change On June 12, the Ethics Board ruled that evidence supports the mayor's original claim that her name was left off the proclamation due to a clerical error, but that she should have arranged for someone else to present the proclamation. Those who filed the complaints and Wu had seven business days to request additional review. Both Wu and one of the original complainants appealed the decision. On July 11, the board voted 5-1 to uphold its ruling. Following the vote, Wu shared a statement on Facebook: I'm disappointed the Ethics Board was unwilling to change its decision on the one violation they were able to find regarding the transgender proclamation. It's unfortunate we're forced to entertain distractions that impede our city's progress, but here we are. For full transparency, I'm sharing a link which includes both my appeal to the Board and my original response to the complaints. It's important our community understands the facts in this matter, which clearly reflect my conduct was appropriate in all respects. Political attacks will not stop me from representing the will of the vast majority of Wichitans, which I will continue to do fully, fairly, and honestly. Wichita Mayor Lily Wu You can find the final report from the Ethics Board below: Final-EAB-Report-2025-13-ProclamationDownload For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Business Insider
07-07-2025
- General
- Business Insider
As a kid, I wanted to be as American as possible. Now, I want to be more Chinese.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lily Wu, a 31-year-old Chinese American compliance professional who moved to Hong Kong in her early 20s. Her words have been edited for length and clarity. If you'd asked me where I was from 10 years ago — before I moved to Asia — my answer would've been very different. "Where are you from?" has become the poster question for how Asian Americans are often treated as foreigners in their own country. I used to reply, "Boston," very matter-of-factly. I grew up there. I'm American. I speak English. It was a defensive answer, like: "Don't challenge me." Now, I just say, "I grew up in the US, but I'm ethnically Chinese." It's honest, efficient, and I'm less defensive about it than I used to be. American, born and raised I was born in Ohio but spent my early years in China while my parents studied in the US as part of the first wave of Chinese students to leave under Deng Xiaoping's 1980s reforms. We eventually settled in Boston, my hometown. I grew up surrounded by other Chinese or Chinese-American kids, and it felt like a little cultural cocoon. Later, when I started middle school at Boston Latin School, I met kids from around the world — including China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Mexico. A lot of kids at my school were local to Boston, but most non-white students, like me, were children of immigrants. That shift gave me my first understanding of how wide the world was. I grew up in a Chinese enclave and went to a diverse, progressive school where overt racism wasn't socially acceptable, at least not in my circles. Cantonese was my first language — my mom's family is from southern China — but over time, I stopped using it. One day, I started answering my parents in English, and they let it stick. Eventually, we became an English-speaking household. Looking back, I wish I spoke better Cantonese and Mandarin. Like many Asian Americans, I wanted to fit in — and while maybe my parents could've pushed harder, my brother and I were probably just stubborn. As a kid, I didn't think much of it, but now I feel a growing pull to reconnect with my roots. I was still surrounded by Chinese culture: I went to Chinese school, played the yangqin (a Chinese instrument), and watched "My Fair Princess," a TV drama, with my mom. Now, there's so much I still want to learn — not just the language, but everything that comes with it. Next stop: Hong Kong I studied international relations and economics at Tufts University, then joined a rotational finance program working across departments. My first role was in asset management in Boston. For my final rotation, I asked to be placed in Hong Kong, and the company made it happen. I'd spent most of my life in Boston, with a study abroad year and an internship in London, so moving to Hong Kong — a city I'd only visited once as a kid — felt like the right kind of adventure. I was 23 and ready to see more of the world. The transition was surprisingly smooth. Hong Kong is easy for foreigners to navigate — English is widely spoken, and the infrastructure is world-class. But being Asian American here is complicated. You blend in until you open your mouth — then people switch to English. It's efficient, but also a reminder that you're not quite "one of them." Culturally, I'm a "gwei mui" — Cantonese slang for a Westernized girl. I used to feel embarrassed by that, but now I've learned to accept it. Still, I see the value in understanding Hong Kong more deeply through its language and customs. It's ironic: I spent my childhood trying to be fully American, and now I find myself wanting to be more Chinese. Asia shifted my perspective When I visit the US now, I feel a kind of reverse culture shock — the streets are wide and quiet, and hardly anyone walks. Growing up in the States, I was constantly told how amazing it was, but I was rarely told how great other cities around the world were, too. That's starting to change, thanks to social media showing things like food delivery robots in China, high-tech toilets in Japan, and Hong Kong trains that run every few minutes. You'd never see that in Boston — I don't miss waiting 30 minutes for the subway in the freezing cold. Things just run more efficiently here. Still, I love going back to the US to see my parents and friends. I appreciate the space and calm. But these days, landing in Hong Kong feels more like coming home.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Appeals filed to Wichita Ethics Board over transgender proclamation
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Two formal appeals have been filed following the Wichita Ethics Board's recent ruling involving Mayor Lily Wu's handling of a proclamation for Transgender Day of Visibility. According to the ethics officer, Mayor Wu herself and one of the original 22 complainants submitted appeals ahead of the deadline, which passed yesterday. Earlier this month, the Ethics Board concluded that Mayor Wu violated the city's ethics code when she failed to read the proclamation or designate someone to read it in her place. However, the board determined there was no violation related to the absence of the mayor's signature on the document, which Wu attributed to a clerical mistake. EAB-Report-2025-13-ProclamationDownload The appeals are not made public until the board issues its final report. That report could be released as soon as July 10, when the board reconvenes to review the appeals. KSN News reached out to Mayor Wu's office for comment. A spokesperson stated that the mayor will wait for the board's response before making any further remarks. Pope Leo XIV affirms celibacy for priests, demands 'firm' action on sex abuse For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wichita Ethics Board finds mayor violated city code over transgender proclamation
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The Wichita Ethics Board met on Thursday to review its report on the 22 ethics complaints filed against Mayor Lily Wu. They found she violated one case of six alleged violations. There were two main points of alleged violation: Mayor Wu's lack of signature on the document, and her decision to not read it aloud. It was the latter that the board found to be a violation of their ethics. The complaints, submitted between March 19 and April 16, stem from controversy surrounding a city proclamation that recognized March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility. Although the city council approved the proclamation, it lacked Wu's signature, and she did not read it out loud. City code states that the presiding officer is responsible for presenting proclamations and that the mayor shall sign all proclamations. The mayor's actions—or lack thereof—prompted reaction on social media. Twenty of the complaints focused on Wu's lack of signature on the proclamation; six also cited her for not reading it aloud. At the city council meeting on March 18, Wu 'yielded the floor' to a council member who voted in favor of the proclamation. She also noted that all proclamations are signed electronically by staff and claimed she did not request her signature to be removed. The board presented its findings during Thursday's meeting. The board said their evidence supports the mayor's original claim that her name was left off the proclamation due to a clerical error. In the report, the Ethics Board summarizes its findings, including Wu's official response to the complaints: 'The Respondent asserts that she has a right not to vote on matters before the Council, and she exercised that right by not voting for the subject Proclamation. Since she did not vote in favor of the Proclamation, she extended an offer to read it to council members who voted in its favor,' the report summarized. 'She says it is false that she refused to sign it, being as surprised as everyone else during the meeting when the document did not have her electronic signature on it.' The report lists out the six codes in which the 22 complaints state Wu violated: Section a. Be dedicated to the ideals of honor and integrity in all public and personal relationships. Section b. Conduct themselves so as to maintain public confidence in the City and its officials. Section e. Ensure that expenditures made by the City are in the interest of the City, for the betterment of the City, and only for appropriate City business, and refrain from actions unreasonably benefiting specific individuals or groups at the expense of the city as a whole. Section g. Address constituents' concerns and needs, striving to provide the highest level of service with equity, neither granting special favor nor discriminating against any citizen. Section h. Work in full cooperation with other officials and employees as they carry out the lawful discharge of their duties, unless prohibited by law or recognized confidentiality of material, to perform the operations of government, and refrain from requesting correction of any municipal code violation beyond the proper process, including but not limited to the fixing of traffic tickets. Section r. Remain impartial in the consideration of the City's business, including the approval of public policies and awarding of contracts. Do not be unduly influenced by family relationships, business interests or religious affiliation in the formulation or adoption of rules, regulations, ordinances, resolutions, or other policy matters. In the end, the board found that Wu only violated section h. 'The Ethics Board finds the evidence did not rise to the level of violating this provision, and this provision arguably does not apply to the present Complaints. No claims within the Complaints alleged influence by family, business, or religious interests,' the summarized report read. The complaint and the respondent have seven business days to request additional review and state any specific dispute of the facts or interpretation of the code of ethics. After seven business days, the findings will become final. If a request is received before then, the issues raised will return to the Ethics Board for reconsideration and a final decision. You can find the full report below: EAB-Report-2025-13-ProclamationDownload Click here to learn more about filing an ethics complaint and how the city handles the complaints. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Here's what Wichita ethics board decided about Mayor Lily Wu & transgender proclamation
Mayor Lily Wu violated the city's ethics policy by not reading, and not arranging someone else to read ahead of time, the Transgender Day of Visibility proclamation at a March meeting, Wichita's Ethics Board found. The ethics board cleared Wu of other alleged violations, and didn't find sufficient evidence that she asked for her signature line to be removed from the proclamation. 'Sufficient time existed for the Mayor to fulfill her duty as the official head of the city to prepare for and preside at the council meeting. Presiding routinely includes reading proclamations approved by a majority or making preparations for and arranging in advance for someone else to read them,' the ethics board report reads. 'Voting in the minority or not voting at all, as in this case, does not change the role of a mayor to execute the will of the majority.' Council member Maggie Ballard ultimately read, and signed, the proclamation during the meeting. The board found that Wu's assistant crossed off her signature line after Wu made her own edits. Twenty-two ethics complaints were filed against the mayor after she did not read a proclamation recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility at the council's March meeting. Those complaints alleged a number of violations of the ethics code, including requiring city officials to maintain public confidence, remain impartial and address constituent's needs. She was cleared of all of those allegations. Wu will not have to pay a fine or attend ethics training as a result of her one violation. The ethics ordinance outlines those possible reprimands for ethics violations. The mayor is in Paris representing the city at the International Air Show and did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The board approved the report on a 4-1 vote, with the only no vote being the mayor's appointee to the board, Al Higdon, co-founder of the marketing agency Sullivan Higdon & Sink, now Signal Theory. After the March meeting, Wu called the proclamation a political move by former mayor Brandon Whipple's political team. She also said the proclamation 'segregated' Wichita's transgender community. The proclamation was requested by Chris Pumpelly early this year through Proud of Wichita: the LGBTQ Chamber. Pumpelly is running for District 1's open seat on the city council; he didn't announce his intent to run until earlier this month. The mayor has said she has received racist emails as backlash after she did not read the proclamation, with one email using a racial slur for Asian people.
