‘Our time now’: 1st Cambodian American mayor in US sworn in

By PHILIP MARCELO
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — A refugee who survived the Khmer Rouge’s brutal regime has become the first Cambodian American mayor in the United States. City Councilor Sokhary Chau in Lowell, Massachusetts, also became his city’s first Asian American mayor following a council vote and inauguration Monday. Chau reflected in inaugural remarks on his family’s escape from Cambodia and Lowell’s immigrant roots. The former industrial city is home to the nation’s second-largest Cambodian community. Chau’s election follows the ascendance of Michelle Wu as Boston’s first woman and first person of color elected mayor. He’s also among the growing ranks of Cambodian American officeholders in Massachusetts.