| Jun H. Choi | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Edison, New Jersey | |
| In office January 1, 2006 – January 1, 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | George A. Spadoro |
| Succeeded by | Antonia Ricigliano |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 17 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Edison, New Jersey |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS) Columbia University (MPPA) |
| Religion | Christian - Protestant |
| Website | www.junchoi.com |
Jun H. Choi (born May 17) is an American politician and the former Mayor of Edison, New Jersey, a community of over 100,000 people and the fifth largest municipality in the state. He was sworn in on January 1, 2006 as the youngest mayor in Edison history.[1] Prior to becoming Mayor of Edison, Choi worked on education policy as a senior official with the New Jersey Department of Education where he started the NJ SMART Program, improving public school education performance metrics for 1.4 million New Jersey children. He also served in the White House Office of Management and Budget and worked as a management consultant for Ernst & Young's Center for Technology Enablement, focusing on strategy and technology issues for large US corporations.
In May 2011 Choi announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination in 2012 for New Jersey's 7th congressional district, a seat currently held by Rep. Leonard Lance, a Republican.[2] However, Choi dropped his bid for Congress after Edison was placed outside the 7th district by the new Congressional redistricting map.[3]
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The son of immigrants, Choi lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey at an early age before moving to Edison, New Jersey. He graduated from J.P. Stevens High School in Edison.[4] Choi earned his pilot's license as a teenager and wanted to become an astronaut before entering public service.[4] Choi earned a Bachelor of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master's degree in public policy and administration from Columbia University.[4] Choi is also a Leadership New Jersey Fellow (Class of 2003).
After entering public service, Choi focused on education policy. He co-wrote the first overview of New Jersey's Charter Schools in 2001 with Gordon MacInnes, then the CEO of Citizens for Better Schools. He later worked at the New Jersey Department of Education in Commissioner Bill Librera's administration on a statewide program named NJ Standards Measurement and Resource for Teaching (NJ SMART).
Elected on a good government, reform-minded platform, Mayor Choi reduced the size of government by 15% while improving services and without permanently laying off municipal employees. He also completed several economic development projects, including planning and negotiating the 1.2 million sq/ft Edison Towne Square (former Ford Plant). He professionalized the Edison Police Department which earned accreditation in 2009 and completed the newly built Edison Public Safety Center. Choi advanced several education projects including a township wide school construction plan and many energy efficiency programs. Mayor Choi also implemented new technologies that improved government efficiency such as Compstat (intelligence/data-driven policing), Citizen Service Request (on-line government service request and tracking system) and putting the entire municipal code (local laws) on the web for easy access.
Running on a platform to make government work and reform the Democratic Party, Choi won the June 2005 primary by a 56-44% margin, defeating longtime incumbent Mayor George A. Spadoro. This was the first time in Edison history that a challenger won the Democratic primary. While most of the county and state Democratic organizations endorsed Spadoro, Choi was endorsed by former Senator Bill Bradley, for whom he worked on the 2000 presidential campaign, and was unexpectedly endorsed by the Teamsters, UFCW and a number of traditionally candidate-neutral unions in Edison.
The 2005 Edison Mayoral campaign brought together four key factors that helped Choi win both the primary and general elections. An American Prospect article details these findings. They include 1) attracting new voters into the process, 2) a good government message, 3) anti-Walmart or economic justice theme and 4) an effective Internet-based progressive mobilization. These dynamics, the article argues, can be a model for progressive candidates in developing a winning campaign.[5]
During the primary campaign, Choi's campaign was attacked by the "Jersey Guys" who made anti-Asian, discriminatory comments on air. Craig Carton and Ray Rossi, two shock jocks, later apologized to Choi on their program. The controversy involving local radio shock jocks who made anti-Asian remarks on the air.[6] The Jersey Guys made racist remarks regarding Choi and Asian Americans on their show over a few hours, in 2005 when Choi first ran for mayor. The Jersey Guys had said on their show that Asian Americans are not “real Americans." The controversy drew national attention and seven major advertisers withdrew their support of Millennium Radio.
For 2007 primary, Choi ran a slate of four council candidates under the "Edison Democratic Party" (Column A) ticket against the incumbent Democratic council (Column B), who were endorsed by state senator Barbara Buono as well as the county organization. Choi's opponent from his 2005 mayoral race, Bill Stephens, also led a slate of candidates under the "Edison Democrats for Change" ticket (Column C).[7]
All four of Choi's council candidates won the primary.[8][9] All four Democratic candidates subsequently won the general election. In addition, an attempt to create a ward system in Edison and expanding the council to nine members from seven was defeated in two municipal questions. Choi and the Democratic slate campaigned against the ward system.[10][11] Despite a strong grip of the city council, Choi worked hard during his 4 years as Mayor to try to take control of and reform the local Democratic Party but was unable to gain the majority.
In June 2009, Choi lost his re-election narrowly in the Democratic primary.
On July 27, 2007, Choi endorsed United States Senator Barack Obama for president in the 2008 election, becoming one of the earliest elected officials in New Jersey to support Obama whereas most of the party establishment supported then frontrunner Sen. Hillary Clinton. Choi, pledged to Obama, was a candidate for Democratic District Delegate in the Tenth Democratic District in New Jersey, which is composed of the 17th and 18th legislative districts. The New Jersey presidential primary, coinciding with Super Tuesday, took place on February 5, 2008.[12][13]
In February, 2009, Choi was one of the first group of Mayors nationwide to officially visit President Obama at the White House along with members of the cabinet.
On May 5, 2011, Choi announced that he would be seeking the Democratic nomination to replace Republican incumbent Congressman Leonard Lance in November 2012. In December 2011, Choi dropped his bid after redistricting placed his town of Edison in the 6th Congressional District. Choi then endorsed Frank Pallone, the Democratic incumbent in the 6th District.
Choi was born in Seoul (South Korea) and moved to the U.S. at the age of three. He is married to Lisa, who served as Student Body Co-President as an undergraduate student at Stanford University. They reside in Edison, New Jersey.