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Home : News : News : Northern Queens
Can Republican Koo beat Flushing Dem?
by Liz Rhoades, Managing Editor
10/29/2009
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   Republican Peter Koo, who has been endorsed by several Democratic leaders as well as prominent members of his own party, is willing to give up his potential salary if elected to the District 20 City Council seat.
   He is hoping to beat Democrat Yen Chou in a district now represented by John Liu, the heavily favored candidate for city comptroller. But are his endorsements and promises enough? The voters will decide on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

   Koo, 56, a pharmacist, owns five drug stores in the Flushing area. He ran unsuccessfully last year against incumbent state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing), losing badly.
   He announced on Sunday that if elected to the City Council, he would donate his $112,500 salary to area groups such as senior centers, schools and community facilities “to help alleviate some of the financial burdens of many of our community groups and assist them in keeping their important programs operational.”
   But perhaps more importantly in his quest to be elected, Koo has garnered the unlikely support of several area Democratic leaders and organizations. They include Terence Park, a leader in the Korean community and co-founder of the Democratic Organization of Flushing; Pauline Chu, a former school board president and a state Democratic Committee member; and Ethel Chen, president of the Flushing Asian Democratic Association. Chen’s son, James Woo, was beaten by Chou in the Democratic primary.
   Former Democratic candidate, Isaac Sasson, who also lost to Chou in the primary, has endorsed Koo.
   The owner of Starside Pharmacy, Koo was born in Taiwan and has used the American dream as a theme of his campaigns. He came to the United States in 1971 and held low-paying jobs to put himself through pharmacy school, then moved to New York from New Mexico in 1981. He worked at New York Hospital Queens and bought his first store in 1991.
   Today, Koo is a member of Community Board 7, chairman of the Flushing Chinese Business Association and active with the Flushing Business Improvement District.
   Chou, 46, runs her own tutoring academy and founded and is president of the Chinese American Parent-Student Council of New York City, a group with 600 members. She has been endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers and area Democratic leaders including Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-Queens, Nassau).
   With five Democratic candidates competing in the September primary, Chou was the surprise victor, taking 24 percent of the vote. She raised $320,000, while Koo is not far behind with $313,860.
   Despite far fewer endorsements than Koo, Chou believes she is the stronger candidate in a predominantly Democratic district. She worked for two years as a special assistant to Councilman David Weprin (D-Hollis) and that experience, she says, gives her a boost.
   Chou has described her opponent as a friend with whom she has some philosophical differences. “The voters have to make a decision on who can best serve the community,” she said.
   The Democrat was born in Taiwan and moved to Queens 23 years ago. She earned her master’s degree at St. John’s University and taught at Mary Louis Academy in Jamaica Estates and Queensborough Community College in Bayside.
   A former resident of Bayside, she served on the District 26 school board and later on the Community Education Council. She and her husband moved to Flushing last year.
   The Democratic officials supporting Koo call Chou untested and inexperienced, while they say Koo has shown leadership abilities in many areas.
   Other Democrats, like Assemblyman Mark Weprin (D-Little Neck), call Chou smart and personable and someone who works tirelessly for the community.



©Queens Chronicle 2009

Reader Comments
 Submit your own comment!
Added: Sunday November 01, 2009 at 11:40 AM EST
Know Yen Chou before voting for her!!!
Peter koo is definitely the best choice for this general election. He has the honesty, integrity, principle, and experience to represent the people of Flushing. Like many of us, he worked and still work hard to archieve his goals. He has been helping our community ever since he established in Flushing. He is a role model that anyone can identify with and a great example for the young generation. Yen Chou in the other hand, is not really clean in what she claim of herself. She said she was a teacher for CUNY. In reality, she never qualified as a professor to teach in any NYS public school. She tutored for a while in Queens Borough Community College because of a donation given by Sam Chan. And of her non-profit school, it is a lie. She does charge students a fee and not just a fee, but 2 to 3 times more that other simillar school. The reason, she claims that she is the only one who has materials and test that will help students to improve their scores. She uses her name to push her business. Also, as s US citizen it is ones reponsibility to vote. She did not for the last ten years and not even in her own primary!!! She does enroll in different associations but almost never attend? From here, we can see what kind of person she is. How can we trust in someone like her the future of our community? The future of distric 20 will be lost. I'm an idependant and I'm so proud to vote for Peter Koo this coming November 3. I really wish him and Flushing good luck. Please, don't vote because you belong to this or that party. Vote from your heart, who you think the best for the seat. If you just vote like Yen Chou suggested "vote for your party" then it shows that you are just another follower, someone without dream nor aspiration, someone who does not know what he/she wants nor who he/she is. Lest vote for the best;Peter koo. And, not everything is bad. Not because someone is a republican he/she is bad. Likewise, no because he/she is democrat he/she is good. Yes, Peter koo is a republican. But, he is a person of pure honesty, integrity, and excellet principle. He is one of the nicest person one can ever meet. If he wins, he will not have to pay back to no one. He will just work hard to make Flushing better and better. He is not after the money or to take advantages of the seat like others. To proof this, last week he announced that if he wins, he will use his entire salary to help district 20. There are lots of community centers that need help because they are non-profit and do not get much help from the governent. Thanks you everyone.
DaisyH_chiquita2009, Flushing, New York

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