A local Taiwanese council race has turned into a public spat between two independent candidates, and the attacks are drawing more attention than the policies.

• Food influencer Kristy registered to run for a Chiayi City East District council seat, going straight after sitting councillor Yen Ling-hsi.
• Kristy's main charge is that Yen has been absent from Chiayi for three years and only opened a local office now that she needs re-election.
• Yen fired back that she has been handling constituent help and legal questions online the whole time, and called the attacks unhealthy.
• Yen won her seat in 2022 on a single issue — anger at how a sexual assault case at a Nantou high school was handled — and later pushed a proposal on regulated red-light districts through the council.
• Kristy is pitching herself on food, tourism, youth jobs and traffic safety, and says she still has not managed to put up a single campaign billboard in the city.

Outlook: With Taiwan's local elections approaching, expect more influencers to run for council seats, and expect this Chiayi contest to stay personal.