Political Parties:
Democratic Party
Working Families Party
http://www.sjjung.com/
Candidate Submitted Biography:
For the past twenty years, S.J. Jung has been a passionate advocate for the community, fighting for policies to improve the quality of life for Flushing residents and all New Yorkers, supporting working and middle class families, and promoting economic prosperity.
AN IMMIGRANT, S. J. came from Korea in 1986 seeking a better life. His family had little money, no connections and struggled with English, but they worked hard and started a small mom-and-pop store.
A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER, S.J. joined the Young Korean American Service and Education Center (YKASEC) in 1988. Since then, S.J. has played vital roles in building YKASEC by becoming a volunteer, Executive Director, board member, and then elected President in 2005. S.J. has helped YKASEC become one of the most vibrant community organizations in Flushing. Its programs include policy advocacy, job training, free legal assistance, low income tax clinics, housing counseling, citizenship application assistance, youth development, ESOL classes, and civic participation.
A LEADER, S.J. has worked together with community leaders, government, and non-profits to provide thousands of working families, elderly, youth, and immigrants with valuable services. S.J. has been an outspoken leader in the fight against budget cuts that hurt working women and men, immigrants, low-income families, the disabled and senior citizens. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the One New York Coalition: Fighting or Fairness, a coalition of leaders from the education, labor, and health and human service sectors.
A BRIDGE BUILDER, S.J. promotes a unifying message of shared justice and inclusion. He has united diverse communities to fight hate crimes, protect workers’ rights and increase affordable housing. He is part of an initiative, “Building Bridges Between African American and Immigrant Communities,” that promotes ongoing cooperation and dialogue between immigrants and the African American community. A member of the Board of Directors of the New York Immigration Coalition, S.J. promotes immigration reform that unites family members, respects civil rights, and provides a win-win solution for workers and businesses.
A BUSINESSMAN, S.J. started his own business in 2005. Built from the ground up, S.J. is a proud owner of a successful international trading company. S.J. understands today’s economic challenges and the important role that entrepreneurship plays in creating a vibrant economy.
It has been the life experience of S.J. Jung -- as an immigrant, a community organizer, a leader, a bridge builder, and entrepreneur -- that has propelled his political journey and it is those experiences that will inspire his work when elected to the New York City Council.
Question 1: What is the most important transportation need in your district? As a Council Member, how would you work to address this need? For the past 20 years our community has undergone intense development. Now, we need to ask ourselves, what kind of community do we want 20 years from now, and are we making the right choices to get there? We need to plan better to deal with the inevitable increase in population over the next decade. We need to think of this as a broader planning issue that is linked to the revitalization of the Flushing River waterfront. As a candidate proudly endorsed by the NY League of Conservation Voters, I have a vision of a cleaned up Flushing River and a revitalized waterfront that forms the core of a responsible, sustainable, and better planned growth over the next twenty years. This effort should be part of a planning effort that rationalizes pedestrian and vehicular traffic in Flushing. Clearly, in a transportation hub where more than 100,000 people use public transit daily, we must address the strain on public transit. I’m a proponent of supporting public transit, including increased service on the 7 train, expansion of the BRT program, and expansion of the MTA’s City Ticket program.
Question 2: The intersection of Union Street and Northern Blvd is one of the most dangerous in your district, where 1 people died and 78 people were injured between 1995-2005 (NYS DOT). As a City Council member, what traffic enforcement policies or physical changes to the intersection infrastructure would you support to make this intersection safer for everyone who uses it (pedestrians, cyclists and drivers)? I would be eager to work with transit and transportation advocates to make this intersection safer for everyone who uses it. I believe that this is part of a broader need that I describe above to address the endemic traffic congestion concerns in Flushing. I support the spirit of the Downtown Flushing Task Force to plan a framework for a better Flushing. We need to continue to study and rationalize the vehicular and pedestrian traffic patterns in the busy Downtown. Streetscape improvements such as distinctive crosswalks and signage can make for safer and more effective for everyone who uses the intersection. Furthermore, we need to work to stop dangerous driving behaviors through effective enforcement. I believe that enforcement cameras as well as increasing traffic control staffing at congested intersections are part of the solution.
Question 3: According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles' most currently available data, in 2007 speeding was a contributing factor in over 3,000 motor vehicle crashes in New York City. Furthermore, the same data showed that the top human contributing factor to the 264 fatal crashes in New York City during 2007 was also speeding. Given these figures, what measures, if any, do you support to redress this problem? Finally, do you believe that New York City’s current speed limits are safe? I subscribe to the spirit of the Tenets of Traffic Justice promoted by Transportation Alternatives. Specifically, we need to work to stop dangerous driving behaviors through effective enforcement. I believe that enforcement cameras as well as increasing traffic control staffing are part of the solution. Also part of the solution is thorough investigation of all traffic crashes.
Question 4: The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's website reports: "In New York City, obesity is epidemic: more than half of adult New Yorkers are overweight (34%) or obese (22%). Data show that obesity begins early in life: nearly half of all elementary school children and Head Start children are not a healthy weight. In New York City, 1 in 5 kindergarten students, and 1 in 4 Head Start children, is obese." Do you believe that increasing walking and biking in New York City would improve public health? If yes, how would you work to increase walking and biking in your district? A recent report from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand that relied on federal data has shown that Manhattan, a place where people walk frequently and do not rely on personal vehicles is far thinner than the average than the nation and the state. I believe the scientific data makes it clear that increasing walking and biking in New York City will improve public health. Indeed, I’m a strong supporter of increased walking and biking, which is why I have envisioned a smart growth strategy for the district that prioritizes walkable communities, public transit, and recreational public space. Again, I feel that increasing walking and biking in my district is part of a broader need to plan for what the community will look like in the future. As I mention above, I envision of a cleaned up Flushing River and a revitalized waterfront that creates open space, bike baths, and recreational waterfront access. Finally, I am committed to adequate staffing and funding to ensure that parks are kept in a state of good repair so that our residents have increased opportunities for walking and biking in my community.
Question 5: Road pricing, including such measures as non-stop tolling, fees based on vehicle miles travelled or entry into a highly congested zone, has been the source of much discussion in New York City and other major metropolitan areas. London famously uses a congestion charge to fund its transit system, Oregon recently piloted a program to replace the gas tax with a fee for miles driven and Seattle recently studied how road pricing could be introduced on a regional basis. Seattle's study, “Traffic Choices Study" (http://psrc.org/projects/trafficchoices/index.htm), found that introducing new tolls on major corridors during peak traffic hours influenced drivers’ behavior and projected that a region-wide road pricing scheme could significantly reduce vehicular traffic congestion. Do you think that introducing a road pricing strategy would change New Yorkers’ travel choices? Do you think that this would be an effective way for the City to reduce backups on high-traffic roadways like the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Gowanus Expressway or the Long Island Expressway? Finally, do you believe there are additional benefits in the surrounding neighborhoods which could be realized from the reduction of vehicular congestion on these routes? High traffic congestion is a challenge that District 20 residents deal with on a daily basis. I believe that we should have all options on the table as we seek creative solutions to address this ongoing challenge. A road pricing strategy certainly has an effect on drivers’ choices and should be one part of the broader conversation about innovative solutions. I am open to working with traffic and transit advocates to study the high traffic roadways in and adjacent to District 20 such as the Long Island Expressway to better understand which segment of the population makes use of the roadway and what solutions would best lend themselves to our local conditions. Any reduction in traffic congestion will certainly have additional benefits such as reduced vehicle idling, pollution, and energy use.
Question 6: Do you believe that reducing residential parking requirements as set forth within NYC zoning regulations would affect neighborhood traffic congestion, and if so, in what way? High traffic congestion and a lack of parking is a top concern that cuts across ethnic groups in our diverse community. In the Downtown Flushing area there is a persistent shortage of parking that causes excessive circulation by vehicles looking for hard-to-find parking spaces and contribute to already significant congestion. I agree that we need to review the best practices from across the world to bring wholesale parking reform to congested areas of the city such as my district. I’m a supporter of continuing the work that Transportation Alternatives has embarked upon to cut down the rampant abuse of government-issued parking permits. I also support exploring the option of raising the price of metered parking to discourage long-term parking, convince some drivers to utilize garage parking and direct others to take public transit. Further, I support trying out a residential parking permit program to discourage all day parking by commuters.
Question 7: The NYC Department of Transportation's Public Plaza Program, Pedestrian Street Program and Summer Streets events are intended to diversify the use of public space and provide more places for New Yorkers to recreate and socialize. Do you support the temporary or permanent repurposing of street space for pedestrians and cyclists? I am a supporter of the innovative programs that the NYC Department of Transportation has embarked upon including Public Plaza Program, Pedestrian Street Program and Summer Streets events. As with many other City programs, Manhattan is frequently the priority area for programs and resources. The Flushing area, which is by far one of the busiest foot traffic areas is the City can benefit from more attention and a fair share of resources from the Department of Transportation. I would be eager to work with Transportation Alternatives and its allies to help bring these innovative programs to the residents of my community.
Question 8: The City recently released plans for Bus Rapid Transit and expressed interest in bringing a bike share program to New York City. Do you think these new projects would enhance the city's transportation network? Please explain. As much as my community can use an extension of the 7 subway line, it is unrealistic to expand the subway at cost of $1 billion per mile. Bus Rapid Transit however costs only $10 million per mile and has proven to be successful in the experimental Bronx line. Although the mayor is moving on adding BRT routes, we need to expand this program to Northeast Queens, where BRT is not currently planned. I want to work with the NYC Department of Transportation and environmental groups to expedite this program to Queens.
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