By Gina Martinez
City Councilman Peter Koo (D- Flushing) will face competition from an unlikely candidate in the September primaries, and he said he welcomes a race against the wife of a Democratic colleague.
Alison Tan, wife of state Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Flushing), announced her run for City Council at Monday night’s Community Board 7 meeting.
Tan, a new board member, said she plans to run against Koo in the September primary. Koo has been in office for two terms.
Koo said he was looking forward to the race and has been endorsed for re-election by the Flushing delegation. His district covers Flushing, Auburndale and part of Whitestone.
“A robust, democratic election that focuses on the issues we face will be good for our district,” he said in a statement. “My campaign has been endorsed by Congresswoman Grace Meng, Borough President Melinda Katz, Senator Toby Stavisky, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic and even Assemblyman Kim.
“In the coming months, I will continue working tirelessly as a member of the City Council and run a positive campaign. I am confident that voters will look at my track record and my commitment to improving our community and re-elect me to the City Council.”
Tan is currently a managing director at Ackman-Ziff, a real estate group. The Cornell grad and Chinese immigrant has been married to Kim for five years. Tan announced her candidacy during the board’s public participation period, and said she was running primarily on quality-of-life issues, including over-population at schools, air pollution and traffic congestion.
“It has become clear that our community needs effective representation on the City Council,” she said in a statement. “We need someone who will fight for our families, who will fight for better mass transit options, safer streets, cleaner parks, more affordable housing, and fully funded senior services. Over the last several months, many community leaders throughout the district have approached me about running for the City Council. I have given this serious consideration, and I am proud to say I am launching my candidacy for the 20th District.”
Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmart
