Boston Councilor Sam Yoon on Obama, Guns, Casinos and More

Korean-born and at-large councilor Sam Yoon, the only Asian of the 13 members of the Boston City Council (photo: NEKorean.com)

SAM YOON, AT-LARGE BOSTON CITY COUNCILOR

• elected to the Boston City Council in Nov. 2005
• first Asian ever to run for elected office in Boston
• came to the U.S. from Korea at age 10 months
• became a naturalized U.S. citizen at age 10
• is chair of two committees:
Post Audit & Oversight
Youth Affairs
• is a member of these 10 committees:
Arts, Film, Humanities & Tourism
Economic Development & Planning
Financial Services & Community Investment
Human Rights
Institutional Relations
Intergovernmental Relations
Rules & Administration
Special Committee on City Hall
Ways & Means
Whole

Source: cityofboston.gov/citycouncil

-- list compiled by EthnicNewz.org editor

Korean American Press: One of the major issues facing the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the issue of what to do with Michigan and Florida primaries. As a member of the Democratic National Convention's Rules Committee, what is your position on the issue?

Yoon: Let me just first say that I have endorsed Barak Obama.

DNC chairman Howard Dean has stated that, on the issue of Michigan and Florida primaries, whatever the ultimate resolution of the controversy, the division of those states' delegates should mirror the total number of delegates that each candidate has garnered.

What is certain is that the resolution will follow a democratic process in determining how Michigan and Florida delegates will be counted.

Michigan and Florida should be allowed to participate in the presidential primary process, but at this point their impact should not give unfair advantage to one candidate over the other.

I recently met with Jim Roosevelt, co-chair of Democratic National Convention credentials committee, which will officially decide on the matter.

Jim has similar views on the issue of how Michigan and Florida delegates should be counted, that at this point their participation should be "ceremonial" and not materially impact the outcome of the race.

By the way, the situation in Michigan and Florida are not entirely the same.

DNC feels that, while Michigan Democratic officials deliberately violated the rules of primary process, the Florida election process is controlled by Republican Party-affiliated state officials who led the efforts to hold the primary earlier.

KAP: There are those in the Democratic Party leadership, such as Senator Patrick Leahy from Vermont, who say that it is important for the Democratic Party to choose its nominee as soon as possible, way before the convention, to give the nominee better opportunity to defeat Republican nominee Sen. John McCain. Do you agree with this assessment?

Yoon: I do not necessarily agree that the sooner the Democratic Party has a nominee, the better a chance it has of winning the general election.

I actually believe that this close contest between Obama and Clinton has been good for the Democratic Party as it has energized more voters to come out to vote for Democratic candidates. For example, there are more votes for Clinton than all Republican votes combined.

In 2004, Sen. John Kerry was the early nominee for the Democratic Party. Fundraising by Kerry then pales in comparison to that of Clinton and Obama.

Of course, whoever wins the primary, the other candidate's supporters will go through a period of mourning, but hopefully the Democratic Party will regroup quickly and be ready for the general election.

KAP: Boston Police Department commissioner Ed Davis's controversial plan to search homes for illegal weapons [known as the Safe Homes Initiative] is facing stiff opposition from various camps. What is your position on the issue?

Yoon: I am somewhat in the minority but I support the overall concept of the police having direct contact with families with troubled teenagers as part of community-policing efforts.

I spent one night with police officers as they patrolled the city. I saw firsthand how important it was to build trust with the public. A police officer has to be a multi-faceted person, including being a social worker.

There are some issues in the plan that need to be carefully addressed. For example, if a gun found at a house is subsequently linked to homicide, then there is an exception to the no-prosecution policy and residents may face prosecution.

This is why I prefer implementing the concept a little at a time to make sure the plan is a very sound one from a constitutional standpoint.

However, what I would like to emphasize is that the overall crime rate in Boston has gone down significantly during the first three months of this year.

I believe just talking about the police's plan to search homes for guns has had a positive impact on the overall crime rate as concerned citizens take more active action to reduce the crime rate.

KAP: As a newly-appointed member of Boston City Council's post-audit and oversight committee, what are some of the issues being considered by this committee?

Yoon: Boston School District's budget woes have been front-page news recently. The city had to dip into the emergency funds to reduce the expected deficit for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2008.

In the midst of this budget crisis, we have had hearings on this fiscal year's budget (July 1, 2007 - June 30, 2008).

The new Boston School District's Superintendent Carol Johnson attended a city council hearing for the first time and gave her testimony about the situation.

Eleven out of 13 City council members (the most I have seen in a while to attend a council hearing) participated in the discussions on finding long-term solutions to the City's budget deficit.

Right now, the expected budget shortfall for this fiscal year is about $10 million, and $20 million for next fiscal year.

Boston's school budget is in a difficult situation for a myriad of reasons. Federal government has eliminated several federal grant programs. As a result, the Boston School District has had to absorb much of the cost of these programs.

Boston has also lost about 5,000 students from last year as more and more families decided to move out of the City.

Consequently, the state, which provides funding for schools based on the size of student population, has reduced funding to Boston Schools accordingly.

KAP: Last month, the Massachusetts House of Representatives defeated Governor Patrick's casino bill by a resounding margin. What are your thoughts on the issue?

Yoon: It was obviously disappointing for the governor. I was mildly leaning towards the governor's casino plan.

From my perspective as a city councilor who understands the impact of the state's budgetary decisions on a local government's budget, the state is facing a major fiscal deficit, with or without the governor's casino plan.

The state must move away from casino gambling as a revenue source and come up with long-term solutions.

KAP: H-Mart is planning to open a new store in Burlington, Mass. While it is generally perceived as positive news for consumers, it is raising concerns among small grocery business owners in the area about the new competition. Do you have any comment on this issue?

Yoon: I am aware of the H-Mart's planning to open a new store in Burlington. As we move forward, it is important to be sensitive to small business owners and their families who will be directly impacted by the new competition.

It is also important that small store owners be allowed to participate in the hearing process as the Town of Burlington considers the economic and social impact of H-Mart's presence.

Arguably, it is small business owners whose livelihood is connected to the community, who are the backbone of the community.

On the other hand, it is very hard to stop capital investment in a free market system when investors see an opportunity. With increased competition, consumers would most likely benefit from lower prices and better selections.

I have shopped at H-Mart in the DC area and was very impressed with it. Furthermore, places such as H-Mart provide greater opportunity to introduce Korean culture to the mainstream society.

KAP: You participated in a recent gathering of Korean American elected officials on the issue of US-Korean Free Trade Agreement (FTA). What is your position on this issue?

Yoon: The issue of FTAs is beyond what a city councilor would normally be concerned with. However, when I was invited to attend this seminar on US-Korean FTA, I studied the subject to get a better understanding of the issues.

I am supportive of FTAs in general. I believe in free markets as one doesn't need to go too far to find a good example. North Korea with its closed economic system is a very poor country, while South Korea is a much wealthier country with a vibrant economy led by international trade.

However, I am concerned in general about trade agreements' potential negative impact on jobs and employment laws.

In the US-Korean FTA report, a committee composed of mostly labor officials was very negative about the agreement.

I would like to see FTAs that are not only good for the economy of countries involved but also ensure that minimum wage and labor laws are followed.

Ultimately, we cannot be an isolationist country. However, any trade agreement that we pursue must ensure transparency and due process so that it is fair and has a mechanism to redress any grievances.

Source: NEKorean.com

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SEE ALSO:

Boston Councilor Yoon Appointed to DNC Rules Committee

Boston Councilor Sam Yoon on His Upcoming Re-election and Fundraising