Koo Looks Forward To Life As A Democrat
By ROSS BARKAN
 |
| Peter Koo stands surrounded by local Democratic officials when he officially changed parties last week. |
Seated in a bright conference room facing one of downtown Flushing’s cacophonous arteries, the newest Democrat in the City Council, Peter Koo (D-Flushing), contemplated why he had been a Republican in the first place and how his quest to collaborate further with fellow politicians—and win re-election—would be easier with the overwhelming majority.
“It was a part of the decision, not the total decision,” said Koo of how much he weighed his election prospects in his decision to jump from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.
He announced his party swap to much Democratic fanfare last week. Because of the Democratic majority within the City Council, Koo’s leadership options were nearly non-existent.
“I could never become a committee chairman (as a Republican) even though I always feel I have a lot of experience that I can share with other members. I can be a leader, I advocate for a lot of things, but I had no opportunity.”
An upbeat Koo, now able to more easily work with fellow local politicians like Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) and State Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing), clarified a much quoted statement made last week that he was always a “Democrat at heart.”
Koo reflected on his life as a first generation immigrant from Hong Kong, saying that he felt Democratic intentions were better than Republican intentions when it came to making life better for immigrants. His support of the DREAM Act, proposed legislation that would ease the path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, has not synced up locally and nationally with GOP rhetoric.
Referring to himself as a “loner” when he was in the Queens GOP, Koo said he still fondly recalls former U.S. President Ronald Reagan as the person who inspired him to become a Republican. Koo’s entrepreneurship has also made him quite wealthy — he owns a chain of pharmacies in Flushing.
“I always remind myself, I’m an immigrant, I have to help myself first,” Koo said. “That’s why I said, ‘Oh, the Republican Party philosophy is nice, almost like my own philosophy.’ It’s like the Chinese philosophy. Confucian philosophy always says take care of yourself and your family. Once you do those two things, you can help the community, help the country.”
Despite the proposed new State Assembly and Senate districts for New York, which includes a Senate district that is 50.4 percent Asian, Koo said he wants to focus on working in the City Council. Koo ran for State Senate in 2008, but now says that running for a Senate seat would be like “starting all over.”
Regarding the fundraising controversy surrounding Comptroller John Liu’s mayoral candidacy, Koo was far less soft-spoken. He, along with his chief of staff James McClelland, asserted that the media seemed to be picking on Liu. Koo said Asian community members keep asking him why Liu is a target.
“It’s the same story, nothing new comes out,” Koo said. “If he’s guilty, prosecute him. If he’s not guilty, leave him alone, let him do his job. The Asian community, we have all been subjected to special unfair treatment. It’s been going on for so long, the same Oliver Pan story. Every time they do something, they repeat the same story, over and over again.”
Liu was caught in an FBI investigation that revealed one of his donors, Oliver Pan, had been allegedly directing illegal donations to Liu’s campaign, for which Koo himself raised money.
Politics is a game, Koo explained, and “when you’re doing good, they want to stop your momentum.”
For now, the oft-grinning Councilman has plenty of it.
Reach Reporter Ross Barkan at rbarkan@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 127.