Kuang, who took office on April 17, 2006, is the first female magistrate of the agricultural county, an economic backwater. She won the post on April 1 that year with 63 percent of the vote.

Since then, however, her administration has received poor marks. In a survey on public satisfaction with the performance of 25 county and city administrators published in July's Global Views Monthly magazine, Kuang ranked dead last.

Kuang has drawn fire for her frequent overseas visits on the taxpayers' dime. She has flown abroad eight times over the past two and a half years, visiting nine countries: Japan, Egypt, Greece, Hong Kong, Britain, Thailand, New Zealand, Germany and Italy.

Taichung's Mayor Hu earned the highest public satisfaction ranking in the same Global Views Monthly view survey, but was also absent when the typhoon hit his city. At the time, Hu was visiting the Marshall Islands, one of Taiwan's 23 diplomatic allies.

In his first day at work Monday after returning from his trip, Hu urged the public not to "smear" the legitimacy of foreign visits by local government heads.

Hu said he visited the Marshall Islands to help solidify Taiwan's diplomatic ties. He said his visit benefited both Taichung and the nation, and that he never expected to be criticized for the trip.

Members of the DPP caucus in the Taichung City Council yesterday hung banners in front of the Taichung City Hall, claiming that Hu ignored the Taichung residents' safety and well-being during Typhoon Fung-Wong while he was in the South Pacific island nation.

"Hu should be fully aware of his job description as mayor, which is to take care of the Taichung residents and oversee the city's development, rather than promoting Taiwan's diplomacy abroad like a foreign minister," said Chen Shu-hua, a DPP city councilor.



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