Jun Choi

CITY: Edison, N.J. OFFICE: Mayor

PERCENTAGE OF VOTES RECEIVED: 55.76% (Beat incumbent George Spadoro, who got 44.24%)

Patty Kim

CITY: Harrisburg, Pa.

OFFICE: City Council Member

NUMBER OF VOTES RECEIVED: 4,865

(Won the most votes in the citywide race for 4 open seats)

From Covering The News To Making The News

KOREAM: What was your reaction when you learned you had won, as well as garnered the most votes?

PATTY KIM: I was thrilled and humbled at the same time. I remember that day as being very long, with a lot of different emotions. This whole process has been truly amazing. I never saw myself as a politician, but rather as someone who wants to give back to my community. My parents worked so hard as first-generation Korean Americans. They allowed me to live a comfortable life in the U.S. and receive a quality education. I worked hard going door-to-door asking individuals for their votes and connecting with different types of people. The city of Harrisburg has very few Korean Americans, but I believe being Korean actually helped me to appeal to both the Caucasian and African American communities. I am honored to be the top vote-getter, and I know a lot of people are taking me very seriously. I look forward to serving the people of Harrisburg in the next four years.

Campaign staffer Sam Joshi explains a map of precincts to members of the media. Photos by Corky Leeß

K: Now that you’ve been elected, how are you going to get accomplished the goals you set in your campaign?

PK: I’m going to continue to build a network of quality people to help get some of my goals accomplished. As I’m learning quickly about politics, one of the important skills for a politician is knowing how to effectively work with others. I had the opportunity to meet many of the community leaders as a TV news reporter (with WHP-CBS 21). I hope to foster those relationships and get things done for the people. Right now, I don’t have any political aspirations to move quickly up the political ladder. I believe if we are faithful in the little things, God will give us bigger things in the future.

Sam Yoon

CITY: Boston, Mass.

OFFICE: City Council Member

PERCENTAGE OF VOTES RECEIVED: 10.26%

(Finished 5th for 8 open seats)