By Alex Robinson
For S.J. Jung, his primary challenge is not so much about replacing state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing).
“I’m not really running against her,” the candidate said in a recent interview at TimesLedger Newspapers’ offices. “I’m running with my own policy priorities. I’m also running based on my own proven track record as a longtime community advocate. I believe there is a point and time for everything. Now is a time to start a new chapter.”
The Korean-American activist has refused to criticize the seven-term incumbent, saying he has a lot of respect for what Stavisky has done for the community, but said it is time for new leadership.
“She’s a Democrat. I’m a Democrat,” he said. “We might agree on a lot of issues, but I think it’s first of all a matter of policy priorities. She has her own policy priorities and I have my own. I think it’s a matter of political will whether you have the commitment and dedication to push it all the way through.”
Jung worked at the Flushing MinKwon Center for 26 years before quitting his post as president to run for office. He oversaw the transformation of the MinKwon Center from a small nonprofit operating with a shoestring budget to an organization with 20 full-time employees. He also owns a small import and export business.
An avid advocate of comprehensive immigration reform, Jung traveled to Washington during the last congressional session to participate in a fast to urge the federal government to create a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Over the past few months, Jung has rolled out a number of priorities, which include revitalizing Flushing Creek, raising the minimum wage and advocating for small business.
He has stressed the cornerstone of his policy is campaign finance and ethics reform.
“Often we debate the size of government, whether to have a big government or small government, but I believe that what we really need is a good government,” Jung said. “I have a serious doubt whether elected officials, including Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo, really have the political will to finally enact government reforms.”
On education, Jung said he would not support legislation that would broaden the admissions criteria for the city’s specialized high schools, a bill that has been controversial in the Asian community.
“The root cause of the problem is not the test itself. We need to support under-performing schools. The real problem is the quality of early childhood education and middle-school education. If we do not tackle those root causes and simply change the admission metric, what good does it do to the students?” he said.
His campaign received a boost Tuesday when lieutenant governor candidate Tim Wu endorsed him. Jung has not received many endorsements other than Wu’s, but said he did not expect to rely on getting support from elected officials.
“When you plan to run for office, you always look for support from party bosses and outside political forces,” he said. “If I can win their support, then that’s great, but you should also be able to run your own campaign so that after the election you can be your own man. You can truly be independent. No endorsement is free. Every endorsement has strings attached to it.”
Jung is running for District 16, which includes parts of Flushing, Bayside, Whitestone, Rego Park and Forest Hills. The district is more than 53 percent Asian, according to census data, but Jung said he has not been focused on just the Asian community and has tried to form a multi-ethnic coalition.
“Ethnic politics is a fact of life. I’m not naive. I have been battling with ethnic politics all throughout my life. I categorically reject ethnic politics,” he said.
Reach reporter Alex Robinson by e-mail at arobinson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
