Hsu Tain-tsair

During the DPP primary election for the presidential candidate's nomination, Hsu expressed that he "will not support the candidate that opposes the construction of an underground railway system in Tainan."[12] Then-Premier Su Tseng-chang promised that the construction would be financially supported by the central government if he were elected. As a result, Hsu openly supported Su in the primary election.[13]

He also believes that in order to improve the competitive advantage of Taiwan, the government should review the distribution of resources between northern and southern Taiwan, with the purpose of balancing their development.[14] Hsu, as a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, also supports the independence movement of Taiwan. Hsu thinks that the United Nations membership referendum is an important step for democracy.[14]

While the National Central Library is located in Taipei, Hsu strongly supports the establishment of a regional branch in Tainan City. The branch might be established in Kaohsiung City, another southern city.[15] Hsu, however, is confident about Tainan being chosen as the location for the new branch because of the transport convenience and academic resources of the region.[16]

Under his term, the environment of the city greatly improved. Hsu started a program of having the city's garbage trucks ring out brief English lessons in 2002.[17] He promoted the use of eco-friendly chopsticks by requiring government officials and teachers to use their own reusable chopsticks when dining, expressing that the goal of the campaign is to reduce the use of disposable chopsticks by 100,000 pairs per day.[18]

Under the Hsu administration, the Chihkan Tower became the first smoke-free historical site in Taiwan

During his second term in office, Tainan City became the first Taiwanese city to enter the Alliance for Healthy Cities of the World Health Organization.[19] In addition, Tainan also became the first Taiwanese city to enter the Global Cities Dialogue. Hsu also believes that Tainan should become a city of international tourism and culture,[20] and he is working towards that purpose. In September 2007, he spoke to the 2007 Asia-Pacific Cities Summit participants and stated that Tainan is blessed with natural, historical, cultural, and humanistic characteristics and that Tainan also possesses great conditions for high-tech, trade, and investment development.[21]

Hsu worked to make Tainan a smoke-free environment. After the successful ban of smoking in public areas such as shopping centers, he pushed through the ban of smoking in historical sites.[22] The Chihkan Tower became the first smoke-free historical site in Taiwan after the passing of the regulation in October 2007. Other historical sites covered by the regulation include Tainan Confucian Temple, Fort Zeelandia, and Eternal Golden Castle.[22][23]

In January 2008, the government of Tainan started an operation to clean up dioxin-contaminated soil around the site of a defunct factory of Taiwan Alkali Industrial Corp (台鹼公司). The Hsu administration was the first to take action since 1982 when the government became aware of the mercury concentrations.[24]

Due to an accidental killing of a teenage girl, while trying to shoot a psychotic suspect, the Tainan City Police Bureau made a decision to develop a special kind of baton in 2006. When dealing with suspects without firearms, the police officers are expected to use the baton first in order to reduce accidents. To commemorate the girl who died, mayor Hsu named the baton after her.[25]

In September 2007, the Tourism Mounted Police Unit of Tainan (Chinese: 臺南市觀光騎警隊) was established to attract tourists. The members of the unit wear green uniforms and ride bicycles around the city on the weekends. They facilitate tourists and at the same time try to reduce crime rate.[26]

While then-mayor of Taipei Ma Ying-jeou was indicted for alleged misuse of "special allowance fund," prosecutors dropped Hsu Tain-tsair's case in March 2007.[30] However, on April 10, 2007, Hsu was indicted by prosecutors for his alleged involvement in a construction scandal and violations of the Government Procurement Act (Chinese: 政府採購法). The scandal was broken by the Tainan City councillor Hsieh Long-chieh (謝龍介) in May 2006 during a council meeting.[31]

In April 2007, Hsu was indicted by the Tainan prosecutors. In their statement of charges, the prosecutors accused Hsu of money grafting in an underground city construction project. According to Hsu, the prosecutors heavily used the testimonies of people who were convicted of crime. In August 2009, Hsu was found not guilty by the Tainan District Court.[32]