John Choe has served as chief of staff for John Liu since 2002.  He is now running to replace his former boss who is running for NYC comptroller due to term limits.  Choe has received numerous endorsements from Queens County Democratic Party, NYS African-American Public Affairs Committee, Stonewall Democrats, Queens County Puerto Ricans for Political Action, and Jefferson Democratic Club.

In a very crowded field of both Asian and non-Asian American candidates, what distinguishes you from the pack?

• My extensive qualifications and community roots set me apart. I have over two decades of leadership experience as a community organizer and public servant. Prior to working over the past eight years with Councilman John Liu, the first and only Asian American in the New York City Council, I also served in the Corporation for Supportive Housing, the NYC Department of Finance, the Coro Leadership New York Center, and the Rent Guidelines Board. As a student government leader on the Binghamton University campus, I successfully led the fight for a greater voice for the Asian Student Union and the creation of a Asian and Asian American Studies Program (which recently became a full department). After school, I volunteered with a number of community-based organizations including the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence (CAAAV). I am now Co-President of the Mitchell-Linden Civic Association, which represents over 3,000 households in Flushing, serve on the Board of Directors of the Democratic Organization of Flushing, and coordinate the NYC Branch of the Asian Community Online Network.

What valuable experience have you gained from working under Councilman John Liu as his chief of staff?

• Councilman John Liu is one of the most highly regarded elected officials in New York and I have been fortunate enough to learn from one of the best political leaders in our community. As Chief of Staff, I have helped identify community needs and secured millions of dollars to address urgent problems. I have advocated on behalf of our community, including the coordination of citywide anti-hate campaigns against anti-Asian radio disc jockeys and their corporate patrons. I spearheaded major policy initiatives and landmark legislation, including the first equal language access law for health and human services, and managed a number of development projects that will define our community's future for the next generation. My campaign for the City Council seeks to continue this extraordinary record of leadership and accomplishment.

How will you respond if one of the other candidates, namely Isaac Sasoon engages in racially divisive campaigning as he has in the past?

• My campaign will not tolerate any racially divisive messages and will immediately condemn such offensive tactics.

What will it mean for the Korean-American community in New York City to have their first Korean-American elected official?

• For the first time in history, the Democratic Party endorsed the first Korea-American candidate for elected office. The Korean-American community is rightfully proud to back the first viable Korean-American candidate with a realistic chance of winning a City Council seat. However, my priority is to represent the entire district and my campaign has been building a broad coalition of diverse ethnic and religious groups.

How do you respond to allegations from your opponent that you are both a communist and a supporter of North Korea?

• This type of red-baiting may have worked in the McCarthy Era of the 1950s, but have since been discredited and rejected by the vast majority of Americans. In the Age of Obama, what will ultimately count is the qualifications and vision of a candidate as well as the energy and commitment of a grassroots campaign.

Recently, you have been an outspoken critic of Mayor Bloomberg and his methods in managing the city. If he is reelected this November, will you be able to work with the mayor on important issues?

 
• To the degree that Mayor Bloomberg's policies benefit my community, I will cooperate with the Administration. To the degree that the Administration's policies are detrimental, I will wholeheartedly resist and organize opposition with my colleagues.

Education:

How do you plan to help alleviate the burden on overcrowded schools in Flushing?

• Two of my priorities are to reduce classroom size throughout our public school system and to build a new high school in Flushing to relieve the overcrowding.

Do you support further mayoral control of the school system and if not, who ought to be in charge?

• Accountability in the management of our school system is good. Unfortunately, there is very little accountability in the current system of Mayoral Control (the City Council does not have legislative oversight of the Department of Education). This lack of accountability has led to a number of decisions that have been detrimental to our children, including the wholesale removal of parents, teachers, and community members from the educational process. Any reauthorization must address these concerns.

How can ESL programs better serve students in the community? What will you do if such classes are cut to save money?

• One of the first budget campaigns that Councilman Liu and I worked on was to dramatically increase the amount of City resources dedicated to immigrant services, including ESL classes. While paltry given the City's $60 billion budget, we managed to increase funding for immigrant services from $10 million to over $20 million. I will continue this strong advocacy on behalf of immigrants as a City Council Member.

Crime:

Can the growing gang problem in Flushing be contained?

• Neighborhood safety is an integral part of my campaign platform. While I will continue working with law enforcement and social service agencies to monitor and reduce youth violence, the only long-term solution is to provide meaningful opportunities for young people to be engaged in our civic life and participate in development programs that will allow them to become the next generation of community leaders.

Flushing has remained very safe neighborhood in recent years; What do you credit for Flushing's low crime rate?

• The Flushing business community has grown over the past decade and has been able to provide economic opportunities for many of our residents. We must continue to find innovative ways to support for small businesses, which compose over 90% of City businesses. We must also find creative ways to leverage the power of the private sector on behalf of those who need the training, support, and jobs to feed their families.

The police department in Flushing has historically had poor relations with the community. How will you foster better relations between the community and the police?

• I will work closely with the 109th Precinct to target areas of high crime and expand collaborative relations that already exist with the Community Precinct Council as well as build relationships with community groups that don't have access to the NYPD. However, I will hold individual officers accountable if there is credible documentation of arbitrary use of force or abuse of power.

Flushing/Asian-American Communities:

Your predecessor made efforts to increase both tourism and business in Flushing. How do you plan to promote Flushing as a "Destination of Choice" in New York City?

• I will continue working with the Flushing Business Improvement District and the various business associations to coordinate marketing strategies that attract tourists and businesses to our district. This is especially the case with the promotion of Flushing's history as the birthplace of religious freedom and home to the most diverse district in our nation. We must embrace the past if we are to move forward as a community.

Can you cross ethnic and cultural boundaries and work with other communities in Flushing?

• Yes, crossing ethnic and cultural boundaries has become the hallmark of my grassroots campaign. I have committed to an inclusive and broad-based process that includes all the stakeholders in major decisions affecting our community. This stance is reflected in the breadth of support for my campaign throughout the district.

Immigration:

There are numerous news stories regarding the troubles both illegal immigrants and their families face when entering the system. It is not a secret that there are many illegals living in Flushing; What will you do to aid these families?

• I am committed to helping all the residents and workers in District 20, regardless of race, class, gender, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or documentation. An uneducated or unhealthy individual is a social problem that must be addressed directly and systematically. My staff will not exclude any individual for lack of documentation.

What will you do to crackdown on predatory and complacent immigration attorneys that often charge exorbitant fees or misfile paperwork?

• I will work with the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Bar Association to better regulate and hold accountable any immigration attorney that takes advantage of clients.

Tenant's rights/Fraud:

How do you feel about consumer protection laws in New York City? Can they be improved?

• One of the major areas of improvement that I have identified is the lack of education and awareness in the immigrant community when it comes to understanding the various consumer protection laws in our City. We must expand the Consumer Bill of Rights and ensure that it is available in different languages.

How will you strengthen the rights of tenants and increase protections against predatory landlords?

• I am committed to rolling back the 1971 Urstadt Law, which removed local control of our housing regulations. This is an essential part of strengthening the rights of tenants and increasing the stability of our housing market. One of the first laws that CM Liu co-sponsored was one of the nation's first anti-predatory lending bills, which has gone a long way to reduce the incidence of predatory lending in our city. However, we must do more and I will work with advocates to strengthen this groundbreaking law.

Youth:

How do plan to engage Flushing's youth?

• I am committed to supporting the existing youth programs run by community groups in our district as well as developing new innovative programs that provide leadership development and economic opportunities for our youth. I am also committed to working with the Bland Tenants Association, which represents one of our three public housing projects, to resurrect their community center (shut down by the Housing Authority).

There is a severe lack of recreational areas for youth in downtown Flushing. How do you plan to remedy this situation?

• Councilman Liu negotiated an agreement with the developer of Municipal Lot #1, a city-owned property in the heart of downtown Flushing that will provid a new community youth center to serve our families. Unfortunately, the developer has since reneged on this deal and the project has stalled. As the newly-elected Council Member, I will forcefully advocate for the return of this youth center before the City approves any deal.

Environment:

Discuss the programs you headed to clean up Flushing

• One of the first achievements of CM Liu was the creation of the Flushing Business Improvement District (BID). The BID, which is funded through a special property tax assessment, provides additional sanitation services to ensure that downtown Flushing remains an attractive tourist and commercial area. I have collaborated with Mabel Law, the BID's Executive Director, to spearhead a number of projects that have cleaned up and helped market Flushing as a "destination of choice."

Transportation:

How important is the proposed expansion of the 7 train line to Flushing?

• The proposed expansion of the 7 Train will most likely help the businesses and residents based in Manhattan's West Side and Midtown, where much of the expansion will occur. Unfortunately, few of the needs of those in Flushing will be addressed in this expansion (overcrowding, poorly maintained stations and infrastructure, and increasing delays). We need a capital program that puts Flushing and the rest of Queens at the top of the agenda of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

What other changes do you plan to bring if you are elected to the City Council?

• I will provide leadership on a number of transportation and infrastructure projects that will benefit the community, including the Main and Union one-way conversion, an upgraded LIRR station, and the rezoning of the Flushing River district.