Running for office or in office: It can be tough to tell sometimes By the Mercury News
Recall target Nguyen junks her junket request
They say timing is everything, and that old adage rang true again last week for San Jose City Councilwoman Madison Nguyen.
On April 16, the 33-year-old Nguyen, the first Vietnamese-American elected to the council, had asked her colleagues to approve her privately financed trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories in mid-June. But when it came time for the council to consider her request at its Tuesday meeting, the matter was quietly dropped.
Turns out that the council, facing a $22.3 million budget deficit in its $1 billion general fund, is set to approve the financial plan on June 17. Kind of an important date if you are one of the people who is in charge of that budget.
The travel request puzzled people in the council offices at City Hall. Even Nguyen's typical allies were shaking their heads. At least one council member had a talk with her behind closed doors.
Nguyen said she simply misjudged.
"I realized that 'Oh, my God this is in the middle of the budget situation,' " she said. "I didn't realize that the trip was going to take place in mid-June. When we realized the date, we realized it was not a good date to go. The budget is more important."
Nguyen's political opponents - she now faces a recall effort over her handling of the Little Saigon fiasco - would certainly have made hay if she had missed the budget vote. But given their criticism of her political skills, perhaps they should have paid for her trip.
Organized and funded by the non-profit American Council of Young Political Leaders, the two-week trek allows participants to "learn diplomatic skills, engage in dialogue on bilateral issues and forge professional relationships."
http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_9073156
They say timing is everything, and that old adage rang true again last week for San Jose City Councilwoman Madison Nguyen.
On April 16, the 33-year-old Nguyen, the first Vietnamese-American elected to the council, had asked her colleagues to approve her privately financed trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories in mid-June. But when it came time for the council to consider her request at its Tuesday meeting, the matter was quietly dropped.
Turns out that the council, facing a $22.3 million budget deficit in its $1 billion general fund, is set to approve the financial plan on June 17. Kind of an important date if you are one of the people who is in charge of that budget.
The travel request puzzled people in the council offices at City Hall. Even Nguyen's typical allies were shaking their heads. At least one council member had a talk with her behind closed doors.
Nguyen said she simply misjudged.
"I realized that 'Oh, my God this is in the middle of the budget situation,' " she said. "I didn't realize that the trip was going to take place in mid-June. When we realized the date, we realized it was not a good date to go. The budget is more important."
Nguyen's political opponents - she now faces a recall effort over her handling of the Little Saigon fiasco - would certainly have made hay if she had missed the budget vote. But given their criticism of her political skills, perhaps they should have paid for her trip.
Organized and funded by the non-profit American Council of Young Political Leaders, the two-week trek allows participants to "learn diplomatic skills, engage in dialogue on bilateral issues and forge professional relationships."
http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_9073156