25-year Arcadia resident and community leader Sho Tay recently declared his candidacy for election to the Arcadia City Council, pitting him against a field of seven other candidates vying for three potentially open seats. With an April 13 election date a little over two months away, Tay’s announcement for city council has already garnered an impressive array of supporters including endorsements from no less than eight former mayors.
All former mayors of the City of Arcadia, Ed Butterworth, Jack Saelid, Floretta Lauber, Barbara Kuhn, Jim Helms, George W. Fasching, Gail Marshall and Bob Margett have all offered their endorsement.
In addition to these endorsements, Tay argues that his years of extensive leadership and continued to contribution to many Arcadia organizations and activities makes him a “logical pick to take on the challenges and idiosyncrasies of local government.”
Currently, Tay is President Elect of the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce, Chairperson Membership Development/Director of Arcadia Rotary International, Director on the major gift committee for the building of a new education center for the Arcadia Museum, Director and Past President, Arcadia-Chinese Association, Finance Chairperson- Boy Scouts of America Lucky Baldwin District, Director, Arcadia Red Cross. Tay is also currently on the Board of Trustees for the Los Angeles County Arboretum, and serves on the Arboretum’s Baldwin House restoration committee. And, for the second time, Mr. Tay was installed on January 9th as Lodge Master of the Arcadia Masonic Lodge No. 278.
Sho Tay was a reserve police officer with the Alhambra Police Department. Professionally, he is an absentee owner of the La Puente Shooting Range, and is an investor in various real estate holdings.
Tay’s position on Arcadia’s infrastructure is optimistic, and speaks highly of Arcadia’s community and public safety services, especially the police department and Fire Department, who despite budgetary constraints and voluntary pay freezes, “remain vigorously proactive in curtailing crime in and around the city’s boundaries”.
Sho and his wife Sherry have two children, Sloane and Sharlotte. Both were born at Arcadia Methodist Hospital and both graduated from Arcadia High School.
Tay says that the cornerstone of his campaign will be balancing the city’s budget through “strategic and well thought out spending”. He is a proponent of what he calls “controlled growth” within a city which has often struggled to remain a “Community of Homes”.