Hello, I’m Mai Xiong
I’m running for office to be our next Warren City Clerk.
You’re probably wondering what a City Clerk does. City Clerks have an important role in making sure that our elections are safe, secure and accessible to all.
The reason why I am running for City Clerk is because elections and voting are two very important things to me. As someone who’s had to overcome many adversities, I am grateful to now have the opportunity to run for office, and to set a good example for my children.
My late-father, Vang Shoua Xiong, was recruited during the Vietnam War by the US to fight alongside American soldiers in the remote mountainous regions of Laos. But after the U.S. pulled out of southeast Asia in 1975, my parents and thousands of Hmong allies were forced to flee their homeland. They hid in the jungles for four years, and eventually, swam across the Mekong River in the middle of the night, into neighboring Thailand, where they were placed into refugee camps set up by the U.N. With no clean, running water, electricity or medical care, they lived there for 7 years, where I was born, in the Ban Vinai Refugee camp in 1984.
When I was three, in 1987, my family and I were accepted into the U.S. I was fortunate to be the first in my family to start preschool and have a full public school education. I moved to Warren after graduating high school. I was accepted to the College for Creative Studies and took summer credit classes at Macomb Community College. After graduating with my Bachelors, I began working as a Graphic Artist.
I met my husband Adam Kue and we decided to start a family in Warren. We bought our first home on Linda Street. Our four children Ariel, Princeton, Kingston and Annabel, now attend Warren Consolidated Schools.
We also invested in our city, by starting a small business here. In 2019 we opened a clothing boutique shop at East 12 Mile Road. However, our dreams were soon shattered by the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020, like countless businesses across Michigan, we were forced to close. As a small business owner, I had to navigate applying for public resources to continue paying for our rent and employees, while helping my children with their virtual learning. Despite our best efforts, our business was unable to fully recover from the pandemic and I had to make the difficult decision to close our beloved shop.
When my shop closed, I brought my fabrics and supplies home and started to sew face masks. I personally donated and delivered thousands of masks to healthcare workers and senior citizens in our city, to keep them safe.
My parents, siblings and I were displaced because of war and persecution. Despite not having an education, or knowing how to speak, read, or write in English, my parents worked hard to put us through school, earn our citizenship and my right to vote.
Even then, I felt like a lot of young people –I didn’t believe that my vote mattered. I realize now how important voting is and I want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to vote too. I’ve been there before, and I want to let you know that your voice and your vote counts.
It has been my honor to serve on the Macomb County Board of Commissioners the past three years. I’ve worked to bring back road repair funding to Warren, fought to keep public transportation running for our seniors, those with disabilities, veterans and workers. I’ve gained valuable experience in balancing budgets while reaching across the aisle to get things done together. I’ve had to make hard decisions and cast difficult votes, but always in an open meeting.
As your next City Clerk, you can be confident that I’ll return transparency and election accountability to this office. I will champion customer service excellence, make it easier for you to access public records online, help you navigate applying for the public services and resources that you deserve, and take care of our pets too.
Together, we’ll create a better and more equitable voting process for everyone.