Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 29) – A former Filipino diplomat, who served as consul at the Philippine Consulate General in New York, is running as commissioner in the US state of New Jersey’s (NJ) Hudson County.
Filipino-American Leandro “Lindy” Lachica, a Republican who is also a practicing New York lawyer, is challenging incumbent Kenneth Kopacz, a Democrat, as commissioner for District 1 of Hudson County, the most densely populated administrative district in NJ and where thousands of Filipino-Americans and Filipinos reside.
County commissioners are key policy makers overseeing the operation of a county. They pass ordinances and resolutions; reviews, modifies, and adopts all operating and capital budgets; and evaluates and studies the county’s annual budget before final approval.
If elected, Lachica said he would cut waste and spending to lower taxes, stop overdevelopment, fight street crimes, and protect parents’ rights in schools, among others.
Hudson is the fourth largest county in NJ with an estimated population of 762,031, according to the latest US census data. Forty-six percent of its population (or 328,709) are white, followed by Asians at 15.85 percent (or 113,081), and blacks at 11.98 percent (or 85,475).
\”I had no plans or dreams to run for any public position,\” Lachica told CNN Philippines. \”But when I suddenly received an offer to run for office, I remembered what we swore here when we became citizens: to answer the call of public service if called.\”
\”I also realized it is time for the Filipino-American community to be given a real opportunity to participate in making policies or solving our problems in our chosen country,\” he added. \”It will open the door to the next. And if my running will help Fil-Ams pay attention to their ability to participate more deeply in American society, I must answer the call to run.\”
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During his tour of duty as consul, Lachica was the senior legal officer and handled the Assistance to Filipino Nationals unit of the Philippine Consulate located in Manhattan, New York which exercises jurisdiction over 10 states in the eastern seaboard.
He helped resolve immigration and employment-related issues involving healthcare professionals, domestic workers and the undocumented; and rescued immigrants from human trafficking by working directly with state and federal government agencies.
\”Since returning to private practice after years of working for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, I have used my experience to help people of all backgrounds to resolve their legal concerns to protect their welfare,\” said Lachica, a long-time resident of Bayonne, NJ, who also helps non-profit organizations in the state.
Lachica earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of the Philippines. He also has an MBA from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Currently licensed to practice law in the US, Australia and the Philippines, he began his legal career as a litigator with a prominent law firm in Manila and practiced there for years before joining the Philippine foreign service.
He is married with three children.
