Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, center front, poses with borough wardens at a workshop at Taipei City Hall yesterday. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je （柯文哲） yesterday announced new policies aimed at creating a closer and more structured relationship between the Taipei City Government and Taipei borough wardens.

“Every warden should serve as a nerve cell to the municipal government, because they are in the front line of governance,” Ko said, drawing loud applause from the mass of wardens who crowded the front steps of the National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to listen to his address.

He also said that his administration would publicize new regulations to define wardens’ responsibilities and announced that a new hotline would be established to ease communication between wardens and the municipal government, similar to the 1999 24-hour Citizen Hotline service that answers residents’ questions about government services.

While acknowledging that it would be impossible to hold individual meetings with each of the capital’s 456 wardens, he pledged to regularly meet small groups.

Department of Civil Affairs Commissioner Lan Shih-tsung （藍世聰） said Ko’s announcements were motivated by a desire to enhance the relationship between the municipal government and its wardens.

Although wardens are elected officials, their responsibilities often intersect with those of municipal government officials, he said. Giving their responsibilities formal, legal standing would enhance their leverage when dealing with government officials, he added.

While traffic issues often require government officials to meet with wardens, officials often expect wardens to act simply as government mouthpieces while ignoring the concerns and suggestions that wardens raise, Neihu District （內湖） warden association head Chen Yu-hsueh （陳尤雪） said.

Of the new hotline, Lan said that while wardens can already report problems to the Department of Civil Affairs via government district offices, they have had difficulty getting help for issues that require the involvement of other departments. The designation of an individual in civil affairs to field calls would help wardens navigate the bureaucracy, he said, adding that the contact would have the authority to call on himself or deputy mayors for assistance in addressing the issues that wardens raise.

In related news, Ko yesterday made an inspection of the Taipei City Police Department headquarters and laid out his priorities and guidelines for law enforcement officers under his administration.

After being debriefed for about 50 minutes, Ko said that there must be no meddling and peddling of influence for positions and better pay in the capital’s law enforcement units by city councilors and other elected officials.

He also instructed police officers to protect public security by prioritizing efforts against violent crime and the sale of illegal drugs. Another of Ko’s concerns is road safety and the flow of traffic during rush hours, and he requested that police work on easing road congestion.（Additional reporting by Jason Pan）

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, center, talks to reporters yesterday after inspecting the Taipei City Police Department. Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times

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