‘This one belongs to the whole community’: Chonburi Lee’s Maplewood win marks a milestone

Two days after winning the race for Maplewood mayor, Council Member Chonburi Lee was still fielding many of the hundreds of texts, calls and messages that flooded in from all over the country. His election as Minnesota’s second Hmong mayor is a milestone, following on the heels of St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her’s historic election a year ago. Maplewood has grown rapidly in recent decades, drawing many Asian American families. And having Lee as mayor will help reflect that diversity, said Mee Vang, board president of The United Hmong Family. “It really sets a standard, and it really makes all of us proud,” she said. Seng Alex Vang, the managing editor of Hmong American Experience, is based in Fresno, California and tracks Hmong elected leaders in the United States. He said there have only been a handful of Hmong American mayors across the country. Vang said Minnesota has a higher rate of Hmong American elected leaders than anywhere else in the country due to the large Hmong p