Fil-Am re-elected as California mayor

MILPITAS, California — Filipino-American Henry Manayan was re-elected Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) mayor of this bustling city in Silicon Valley.

Manayan, whose father is from Pasuquin, Ilocos Sur, received about 66 percent of the votes cast in this city to win a third term over his Republican challenger Ed Riffle.

Manayan served as city councilor before his election as city mayor in 1996 – a post that has a two-year term.

He is the first Filipino-American to be elected city mayor in a direct vote in the United States. Others became mayor by topping the vote for the city council.

"This is a strong reaffirmation of support for what I have been doing for Milpitas," Manayan said at a victory party at the Great Mall, a former Ford plant which he helped transform into the biggest shopping mall in the San Francisco Bay area.

Milpitas boomed during the stewardship of Manayan, with the entry of more information technology companies, hotels and big establishments, making it competitive with bigger San Jose City, the seat of Santa Clara County.

He has also encouraged Milpitas businessmen to invest in the Philippines through a yearly trade mission that he leads.

Manayan acknowledged the strong support of the Filipino community for his re-election but thanked the other sectors that voted for him.

"Milpitas is a very diverse city. It has about 83 communities so I could not rely solely on my being an Asian-American," he explained.

That Manayan secured the support of the different minority groups in Milpitas could be gleaned from those who attended his victory party. While there were many Filipinos, there were also Chinese, Indians, Koreans and other ethnic origins.