Taiwan's Nantou county election kicked off with a DPP candidate promising a local cash payout on top of the central government's own handout — good news for residents hoping for extra money, though it depends on cancelling planned building projects.

• Wen Shih-cheng was first to register for the Nantou county chief race, backed by DPP party leaders and local candidates.
• His pitch is a NT$8,800 payment to every resident in the county, added to the NT$10,000 the central government is already handing out.
• The money would come from scrapping projects he calls wasteful, including an art museum and a cable car, together worth over NT$8 billion.
• The rest of his platform targets the old, the young, and family costs: bigger senior cards usable at convenience stores, denture subsidies, home-starting funds, and higher childbirth and childcare support.

Outlook: He plans to campaign across all thirteen towns in the county, and rival candidates will likely be pressed to match or attack the cash promise.