Peter Koo | |
|---|---|
顧雅明 | |
 Koo in 2008 | |
| Member of theNew York City Council from the20th district | |
| In office January 1, 2010 – December 31, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | John Liu |
| Succeeded by | Sandra Ung |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1952-09-05)September 5, 1952 (age 73) Shanghai, China |
| Party | Republican (Prior to 2012) Democratic (Since 2012) |
| Spouse | Bernadette Ching Koo |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | New Mexico College of Pharmacy |
| Website | Official website |
| Peter Koo | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 顧雅明 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 顾雅明 | ||||||||||
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Peter Ah-Ming Koo (born September 5, 1952)[1] is a Chinese American politician who represented the20th district of theNew York City Council from 2010 to 2021. He is aDemocrat. The district includes portions ofBayside,College Point,Flushing,Flushing Meadows Corona Park,Fresh Meadows andWhitestone inQueens.
Koo andManhattan Council memberMargaret Chin comprise theAsian-American delegation of the council.
Koo is aChinese American born inShanghai in 1952. Prior to immigrating to the United States in 1971, he lived in the former British Hong Kong. Graduating from theUniversity of New Mexico College of Pharmacy in 1975 where he paid his way through by working minimum wage jobs atKentucky Fried Chicken andDunkin' Donuts, Koo is apharmacist who developed a five-store chain of pharmacies called Starside Drugs Pharmacy.[2]
He has been a member ofQueens Community Board 7. Previously, he unsuccessfully challenged local state senatorToby Ann Stavisky in 2008.[3] He has been called the "Mayor" of Flushing.
In January 2012,[4] Koo changed his party affiliation fromRepublican to Democratic.[5]
In 2018, Koo proposed legislation before being term limited out of The New York City Council to ban smoking cigarettes while walking.[6]
Koo was elected to the city council seat on November 3, 2009, defeatingDemocratic Party nominee Yen Chou,Working Families Party nominee S.J. Jung, andGreen Party nominee Evergreen Chou. He assumed the position that was held byJohn Liu, theNew York City Comptroller.[7] He was term limited out of office at the end of 2021.
| Election history | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Year | Election | Results |
| NY Senate District 16 | 2008 | General | √Toby Ann Stavisky (D) 69.44% Peter Koo (R) 30.56% |
| NYC Council District 20 | 2009 | General | √ Peter Koo (R) 49.05% Yen S. Chou (D) 45.24% S.J. Jung (Working Families) 4.06% Evergreen Chou (Green) 1.64% |
| NYC Council District 20 | 2013 | General | √ Peter Koo (D) 79.67% Martha Flores-Vazqeuz (Jobs & Education) 10.38% Sunny Hahn (Reform) 6.40% Evergreen Chou (Green) 3.38% |
| NYC Council District 20 | 2017 | Primary | √ Peter Koo 57.9% Alison Tan 41.67%[10] |
Koo serves on the following New York City Council committees:[11]
Caucuses
Peter has been married for 26 years and has two children, a boy and a girl.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | New York City Council,20th district 2010–2021 | Succeeded by |