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Health & Fitness

Fort Lee Democratic Primary: Defeat Carpetbagger Paul K. Yoon on Ballot

Definition: CARPETBAGGER  

(cartoon photo by Robert Ariail)

From U.S. History: A Northerner to went to the South after the Civil War in order to profiteer from the unsettled social and political conditions of this area during the Reconstruction period. 

Modern:  Any opportunistic or EXPLOITIVE outsider in business or GOVERNMENT; e.g. an individual having recently moved to Fort Lee with NO VESTED INTEREST IN THIS COMMUNITY, who is running for Borough Council, who is sponsored by an individual who has been a divisive force in Fort Lee for many years. 

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When I write a blog, I am expressing my opinion on a certain issue or situation.  It is accompanied by research, but when it comes to local political issues, much of the information brought to my attention is from third parties without written verifications.  Nevertheless, I believe all of the following to be true and critical to the future well-being of the citizens of Fort Lee.

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On June 3, 2014, the citizens of Fort Lee, New Jersey will have to decide if they care enough about the future of this community to save it from disaster.   The Democratic Primary Election will be held on that date.  The question is whether people who normally ignore this election will make the effort in 2014 to stem off catastrophe. 

Normally, very few citizens bother to vote in local primaries, Fort Lee being no exception. The slates are generally boilerplate with the same old candidates running, who have been running for years, with their reelection in Fort Lee being taken for granted.   As we all know, in Fort Lee, the Democratic Party rules, for better or for worse. 

In 2014, that is all about to change. There is a “rogue candidate”, an outsider, Paul K. Yoon, who moved to Fort Lee, with the apparent goal of running for the Borough Council.   Mr. Yoon’s sponsor is none other than the infamous Andrew Kim, local politico, who has done everything in his power over the years to make Fort Lee a divided community.  That makes Paul Yoon a very dangerous man!

Andrew Kim sponsored the candidacy of Helen Yoon (no apparent relation) to the Board of Education, who arguably may be the most ineffectual member of the Board of Education in recent history.   What was the first thing Helen did after being elected? She brought up the Board of Education on Ethics charges for attending a fundraiser for an opposing candidate. After that she publically accused a community member of racism at a Board meeting.  She has no children in the school system and has been a negative force on the Board for years.  So much for trusting individuals that Andrew Kim sponsors for public office!

Every Korean that has run in recent years for the Board of Education was sponsored by Andrew Kim. Why?  Andrew Kim has one major goal, i.e. expanding his power base.  Please note that while Andrew Kim has an insurance office in Fort Lee, he resides in Upper Saddle River.  One could speculate that Andrew’s goal was to control the Board of Education.   When the Board changed the BOE election to November, it rendered ineffective Andrew’s strategy of “bullet-voting” by the Korean community in BOE elections to get his candidates elected.   

Now Andrew Kim appears to have a new goal, to have one of his “minions” elected to the Fort Lee Borough Council.  Paul Yoon is an unknown quantity, a non-contributor to the Fort Lee Community, who is running for Borough Council.   Based on Andrew’s history, it would appear that Paul Yoon will inevitably be just one more sycophant allowing Andrew Kim to impose his will on the Fort Lee Community. 

Andrew Kim will undoubtedly do everything in his power to see that Paul Yoon wins this primary election.   He could potentially: (1) set up transportation for Koreans to the polls; (2) send out his representatives to solicit votes from Korean residents of Fort Lee Senior Housing, or simply group phone every member of the Korean-American Association to encourage them to vote that day in the primary for HIS candidate.  All of these things are legal, if clearly only in Mr. Kim’s best interests.  

There is a simple way to stop Andrew Kim and Paul Yoon.   VOTE FOR THE OTHER CANDIDATES, Mike Sargenti and Armand Pohan.  They are Fort Lee people, who will work in the interests of all the citizens of Fort Lee, not in the interests of Andrew Kim.  We need to send a message to Andrew Kim once and for all, to pack his bags, get out of our town, and to take his minions with him. 

We need the Koreans in Fort Lee to join the Fort Lee Community to create one United Community. We need a Korean candidate, who will represent the best interests of Fort Lee, including the Koreans, not a carpetbagger working for Andrew Kim.  I will be the first one to vote for a Korean candidate because the Korean community needs representation.   But first we have to dispose of this pretender.  

Using Google on the internet, there is limited available biographical information on Paul Yoon, e.g. wife and young son, but there is a business profile.  I was unable to locate an interview by any major journal with Paul K. Yoon, only a “letter to the Editor” in the Suburbanite, written by Mr. Yoon, obviously biased toward presenting his message without any questioning by a reporter.   There is no record of any major contributions to the Fort Lee community in the past two years since Mr. Yoon’s relocation to Fort Lee.  We know nothing substantial about Paul Yoon, exempt that he wants to be on the Borough Council and that he is an associate of Andrew Kim, a bane on our community for too many years.     

In order to run for office, an individual should have something invested in a community.  Paul K. Yoon has nothing invested in Fort Lee.  He has not lived here long enough to have anything invested.  Let him first contribute something to Fort Lee and then we can consider him for public office (or not).  

It should be a big fat “NO VOTE” for carpetbagger Paul K. Yoon.  

Please go to the polls on Tuesday, VOTE SARGENTI & POHAN, and send a message that we care about Fort Lee’s future. 

 

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