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AUGUSTO F. MENEZES/Staff photographer
Edison
Mayor Jun Choi acknowledges the crowd as he prepares to deliver his
inaugural speech inside the Edison High School auditorium.
Applauding at right is Gov.-elect Jon Corzine. |
Choi sworn in as
mayor
Edison inaugurates
its youngest leader
By JERRY BARCA, Nome
News Tribune Online, January 2, 2006
EDISON, NJ -- A high school
band playing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" opened the coronation ceremony of Jun
Choi, the township's youngest and first minority mayor.
The 34-year-old Korean American was sworn in yesterday before a crowd of more
than 500 people in the Edison High School auditorium.
"I did not run for mayor to win a popularity contest. I ran for mayor to
make a difference in the lives of everyday people. And to this end, we
need a reform vision to revitalize our community," Choi said in his first
mayoral speech.
Yesterday's 90-minute ceremony was the realization of an outsider's run to
office in a township dominated by Democratic-party loyalists.
In order to gain the mayor's seat, Choi, a first-time candidate for office,
defeated incumbent Mayor George Spadoro in a crushing upset to win the
Democratic primary.
In the general election, Choi beat another party stalwart, William Stephens, a
former council president who ran as an independent.
Yesterday, leaders from the Catholic, Baptist, Hindu and Jewish communities said
prayers in the auditorium adorned with red, white and blue stars-and-stripes
bunting.
More than a dozen members of English and Asian-language media outlets took
notes, snapped photos and shot video footage of the inauguration.
The Asian and state political communities have also paid attention to Choi's
ascent. Bong-Joo Moon, the consul general of the Republic of Korea,
attended the inauguration. U.S. Rep. Robert Menendez, D-13th Dist., who is
expected to take the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Gov.-elect Jon S.
Corzine, was also in attendance.
"This is a great, great story for America that is occurring here today," said
Corzine, who swore in Choi.
In his inaugural speech, Choi pointed to a series of initiatives he plans to
announce in his first 100 days in office.
Without giving specific details, Choi said the initiatives will focus on
education, relieving overcrowded schools, stopping residential development,
luring businesses to Edison and "fiscal discipline."
"Not all of these initiatives will be popular. ... There will certainly be
criticism and second-guessing," Choi said. "But ... to seize these
opportunities, what's needed is the kind of leadership to stand up to entrenched
interests and to do what is right for the community."
Having beaten two longtime local leaders in back-to-back contentious campaigns,
Choi asked for unity yesterday.
He broke from prepared remarks to acknowledge Stephens, his general-election
opponent, who was sitting in the crowd. "I'm so glad and touched you're
here," Choi said. "I look forward to working with you in the future."
The mayor also spoke directly to the township government. "Join me in
rejecting petty, partisan politics and the politics of personal destruction.
We face serious challenges, and we must assume our responsibilities seriously
and cooperatively," Choi said.
Choi already is facing difficulty trying to get the Township Council to pay two
consultants $25,000 a month to review the Edison government. The council
approved an initial payment, but then tabled the issue when it came up again.
"We are going to see more disagreement in council chambers," said Robert Diehl,
who was sworn in and made council president yesterday. "I welcome it all."
After he was sworn in, Anthony Massaro, who was named council vice president,
said he had no worries about possible disagreements. "It means people are
thinking," he said.
Beyond Diehl and Massaro, Salvatore Pizzi and Antonia Ricigliano were also sworn
in as council members.
Ricigliano, a Democrat who ran on Stephens' independent slate, served on the
council from 1998 to 2001. She could be a Choi detractor, but, she said,
"I'm not an unreasonable person. My only hope is he is up to the job."
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