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Jun Choi

Candidate for: Mayor of Edison, NJ
Election Date: November 8, 2005

FINAL RESULTS
Choi: 50.40%
Stephens: 49.60%


The Candidate

Jun Choi is running for Mayor of Edison, New Jersey. This is Jun's first campaign for elected office, but he is no stranger to crafting sound policy. At age 34, Choi currently directs the Student Achievement Task Force for the New Jersey Department of Education and has previously served with the United States Office of Management and Budget. Complementing his years of public service, he is quick to note his private sector experience as a management consultant for Ernst & Young and how this experience impacts his straightforward approach to leadership - he is known around the Garden State for stressing efficiency, accountability and definitive goal setting.

By all accounts, Jun Choi has lived the American dream. At age 3, he immigrated to the United States from Korea and with hard work and determination earned a Bachelors in Science from the Massachusetts Institute for Technology and a Masters in Public Policy from Columbia University. CNM finds Choi to be a young and informed progressive who is acutely aware that the best leaders affect change by putting in place institutions to long outlast their direct personal contributions. In 2000, Choi co-founded a leadership development and education organization to develop, train and mentor young adults for careers in public service.


The Issues

The main issues in ever-expanding central New Jersey remain responsible development, taxpayer protection and supporting public education. Jun Choi is committed to forestalling suburban sprawl in Edison and improving quality of life. He is committed to revamping the Township's outdated Master Plan and appointing newly committed City Planning & Zoning Board Members.

Controlling municipal taxation is extremely important to Edison's residents in this election cycle. Under severe mismanagement, Township taxes have increased by more than 160% since 1994. Jun intends to pull from his private-sector management experience to streamline Edison's municipal services into more lean and effective outfits.

On education, Choi is committed to securing more state aid for Edison's schools. Jun intends to lead a coalition with other New Jersey mayors in advocating for a fair share of statewide education funds for middle income school districts like Edison (of Edison's $173 million annual education budget, currently only 8% is state funded). At the community level, he plans to organize an Edison Education Task Force with parents, teachers and administrators. The task force will produce recommendations on how to better coordinate municipal operations so Edison's families and Edison's schools remain the cornerstone of the community.
Jun likes to talk about how his quality public education and ensuing higher education have been the drivers for his success. When combining his personal experience and his professional background, CNM finds Jun Choi especially well suited to improve local education.


The Race

From the very beginning, Jun Choi has run an effective campaign for Mayor of Edison. In the June Democratic primary, he defeated three- term incumbent George Spadaro (D) by more than 1000 votes, a 55% to 45% breakdown. Will Stevens, well-known Edison resident and Democratic turned Independent, plans to run against Choi in the general election. The race will be tight.

During the primary, Choi won a ringing endorsement from Bill Bradley, for whom he worked on the 2000 presidential campaign, and was unexpectedly endorsed by a number of traditionally candidate- neutral unions in Edison. Union representatives have made clear that their break with neutrality is because of Jun's stated commitment to fight for middle income issues.


CNM Supports Jun Choi for Mayor of Edison, New Jersey

Jun Choi's strong Democratic primary victory over George Spadaro made headlines around the Garden State and caught the attention of New Jersey's political experts. John Weingart, Associate Director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, remarks about Choi: "He's a smart, attractive candidate. If you want to make a list of people to watch in New Jersey politics, he's up there now." CNM's research confirms Weingart's opinion.

What impresses us most about Jun Choi is his natural ability to connect with others. Like many young progressive hopefuls, Choi commands a formidable intellect; but the ease with which "he connects" clearly separates him from the pack. We proudly endorse Jun Choi for Mayor of Edison.


Support Jun Choi for Mayor

CNM is proud to endorse Jun Choi for Mayor of Edison, New Jersey. We encourage you to give him your support.

Please contribute directly to Choi's Campaign by clicking here!

You can also send checks to:
Campaign for a National Majority
Attn: Nathaniel Stinnett
6 Claflin Road, Suite 3
Brookline, MA 02445
Make checks payable to "Jun Choi for Mayor." Please include information about your occupation, employer, and address.*

*State law requires candidate campaign committees to report the name, mailing address, occupation and employer of individuals whose contributions aggregate in excess of $100 in an election cycle.