By Kai Curry
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
From left (front): Dwane Chapelle, Seattle Delta of Education and Early Learning; Seattle City Council member Maritza Rivera; Michael Fong; and Seattle City Council member Tanya Woo. Back row: State Sen. Bob Hasegawa and Carrie Huie (Photo by Assunta Ng)
“There’s a lot of love in this room tonight,” observed Bellevue City Council member Jared Nieuwenhuis, on the occasion of celebrating the appointment of Mike Fong to director of the Washington State Department of Commerce. Fong is also the former director of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Region 10 Office in Seattle. This makes him one of very few people to have been both a White House and a state governor appointee. In his newest role, Fong will have influence over not only commerce, but also issues such as affordable housing and broadband internet access.
“The beauty of this job in Commerce is that I get to work on so many issues that touch so many people in this room,” said Fong to a packed house at Seattle’s China Harbor Restaurant on March 20, where a dinner was held in his honor. On the menu: lobster, prawns, BBQ pork, veggies, appetizers, Peking duck, and more. In the room: Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) leadership, warmth, friendship, and respect for Fong’s involvement in the community over the years.
“He’s always there for the community,” said the Asian Weekly’s publisher, Assunta Ng, who emceed the event. In her opening remarks, Ng mentioned Fong’s personal and career expertise on both sides of the Cascades. Born and raised in Spokane and having served as Seattle Deputy Mayor, as well as in other government positions, “He has the knowledge of both the East and West side of Washington state, and few people have that expertise. So, Michael, if one day, you do decide to run for a statewide office, I guarantee you, you would be the champ.”
The organizer of the evening was Felicity Wang, president of the Asia Pacific…
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