Speaking at his victory party at Tung Yi Fung restaurant, which was packed with his supporters, Koo said from the beginning of the campaign the race was about leadership and experience. “I have the support of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Jewish Americans and all other Americans,” he said. “This is the community’s win.”
   He thanked everyone who helped him get elected, adding, “Peter Koo is a nice guy and now a politician.”
   Later, he told the Queens Chronicle his first plans call for getting community and civic leaders together in a roundtable discussion on priorities for Flushing. “Of course the most important are funding senior centers and after-school programs and solving traffic problems,” Koo said.
    Prior to the election, he promised that if elected he would donate his $112,500 salary to area nonprofit groups and facilities to help alleviate some of their financial burdens in these tough economic times.
   Koo, 56, put together an unlikely coalition that included several well-known Flushing Democrats. They were out in force Tuesday night, assured that they had made the right choice.
   Terence Park, a leader in the Korean community and co-founder of the Democratic Organization of Flushing, called it a joyful night “and a hell of a ride. I picked Koo, who is a Republican first, not my party because he was the better candidate,” Park said.
   He added that Koo is reliable and does things for the betterment of the community. “The message got out,” Park said.
   Also present was Ethel Chen, president of the Flushing Asian Democratic Association, whose son, James Woo, was beaten by Chou in the Democratic primary. “We picked the right candidate this time,” Chen said. “Yen Chou lost because she led a negative campaign and didn’t vote for 10 years.”
   Another Democratic supporter, Isaac Sasson, who also lost to Chou in the primary, said Koo’s victory “Is a testament to what he can do in office.” Sasson believes Chou’s divisive campaign hurt her.
   Koo, who ran for a state Senate seat and lost to incumbent Toby Stavisky last year by a two-to-one margin, was happy to take all the support he could get this time. “I have always been a community person and that’s why they came over to me,” he said.
   During the campaign, Chou had been attacked for making anti-Semitic comments, for moving into the district last year and not doing anything for the community.
   On the other hand, Koo was cited for his civic involvement, philanthropy and work ethic. He owns five area pharmacies and has been a member of Community Board 7 for eight years, is into his fifth year as president of the Flushing Chinese Business Association and is a founding member and board secretary of the Downtown Flushing Business Improvement District.
   As a philanthropist, Koo has helped the cash-strapped Prince Street Senior Center, donated wheelchairs to Elmhurst Hospital’s Emergency Department and gives turkeys to residents of Latimer Houses and a Christmas tree to their community center every holiday season. He also donated $100,000 to LaGuardia Community College to establish a scholarship fund in memory of his father.
   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.
   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 was not far behind with $313,860.
   Also born in Taiwan, she is a former resident of Bayside. Chou served on the District 26 school board and later on the Community Education Council. She and her husband moved to Flushing last year.