Jun Choi for Congress

Jun Choi is a dedicated public servant, not afraid to make the hard decisions required to renew America. Effective, passionate and principled, Jun is a practical problem solver with a clear vision of what needs to be done to renew the American Dream.

Jun entered public life because he wanted to give back to the community and country that had offered him and his familysomany opportunities. As Mayor of Edison, New Jersey's fifth largest municipality, Jun tackled the big challenges that would improve the long term health of the community. Working with business leaders, Jun helped create thousands of jobs by redeveloping older properties that needed revitalization and by attracting new businesses to Edison. The 1.2 million square feet Edison Towne Square project on Route 1, the largest redevelopment project in Edison's history, was planned, negotiated and began construction under his watch. Jun also established the Edison Redevelopment Agency to accelerate the pace of job creation and economic development.

Jun challenged years of financial mismanagement, and brought fiscal discipline to the Township's bloated budget. He recruited professional managers, fought entrenched special interests and brought a business sense to Edison government. To bring fiscal discipline to Edison's $140 million annual budget, he downsized municipal government by 15% without permanently laying off any employees, renegotiated labor contracts and invested in technology to save millions of dollars per year. He reorganized all the major departments to improve services while delivering them more efficiently.

While he worked hard to bring jobs and fiscal discipline to Edison, Jun also wanted to bring a spirit of innovation to Edison government. The Edison Police Department received state accreditation during his tenure setting the highest standards and implementing best practices in law enforcement. The Department established a new Compstat performance tracking system, and installed new technology in every patrol car which significantly improved community policing. Beyond public safety, Jun's administration established a new online citizen service request system and electronic bill payment system.

During his tenure, Edison received several honors including the "Best Place to Raise Kids" in New Jersey according to Business Week magazine, the "Safest Place for Women" in America according to SELF Magazine, and one of the "Best Places to Live" in the nation according to CNN Money magazine. Edison government also received the Innovation in Governance Award for its efforts in energy technology and services by the NJ League of Municipalities.

Prior to his term as Edison's mayor, Jun was an advocate for public education, and served as the Executive Director of the NJ Standards Measurement and Resource for Teaching (NJ SMART) program at the NJ Department of Education. NJ SMART represented an unprecedented effort to bring real accountability to public education. Recognizing that Edison's great public education system opened all kinds of opportunities for him, he remains focused on policies that would provide the same opportunities to our children. Jun also served as Chair of the Mayors' School Funding Committee in 2007. Before joining the New Jersey Department of Education, he co-authored the New Jersey Charter School report with the CEO of Citizens for Better Schools, a New Jersey-based advocacy and policy organization.

Jun grew up in middle class Edison to immigrant parents who owned a drycleaner. He understands the challenges that middle class families and small business owners face today. After college, he learned about the broader economy by working as a management consultant for Ernst & Young LLP's Center for Technology Enablement which advised Fortune 500 companies on business and technology strategy.

Jun earned a BS in Aerospace Engineering from MIT and a Master's in Public Policy and Administration from Columbia University. He is a Leadership New Jersey Fellow and Lecturer at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. Jun lives in Edison with his wife Lisa.