Peter Koo

{{short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Peter Koo | native_name = {{nobold|顧雅明}} | native_name_lang = zh-hant | image = PeterKoo.jpg | image_size = | caption = Koo in 2008 | office = Member of the New York City Council from the 20th district | term_start = January 1, 2010 | term_end = December 31, 2021 | predecessor = John Liu | successor = Sandra Ung | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1952|09|05|mf=yes}} | birth_place = Shanghai, China | death_date = | death_place = | party = Republican (Prior to 2012) Democratic (Since 2012) | spouse = Bernadette Ching Koo | children = 2 | alma_mater = New Mexico College of Pharmacy | website = [http://council.nyc.gov/d20/html/members/home.shtml Official website] }} {{Infobox Chinese |t=顧雅明 |s=顾雅明 |p=Gù Yǎmíng |j=gu3 ngaa5 ming4 }} '''Peter Ah-Ming Koo''' (born September 5, 1952)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=190464|title=Our Campaigns – Candidate – Peter Koo|website=www.ourcampaigns.com|access-date=July 10, 2018}}</ref> is a Chinese American politician who represented the 20th district of the New York City Council from 2010 to 2021. He is a Democrat. The district includes portions of Bayside, College Point, Flushing, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Fresh Meadows and Whitestone in Queens.

Koo and Manhattan Council member Margaret Chin comprise the Asian-American delegation of the council.

==Life and career== Koo is a Chinese American born in Shanghai in 1952. Prior to immigrating to the United States in 1971, he lived in the former British Hong Kong. Graduating from the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy in 1975 where he paid his way through by working minimum wage jobs at Kentucky Fried Chicken and Dunkin' Donuts, Koo is a pharmacist who developed a five-store chain of pharmacies called Starside Drugs Pharmacy.<ref name="Mimoni">{{cite news|url=http://www.queenscourier.com/articles/2008/03/12/news/regional/northeast/news08.txt|title=Community activist Peter Koo challenges Stavisky|publisher=The Queens Courier|author=Victor G. Mimoni|date=March 12, 2008|accessdate=November 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716022117/http://www.queenscourier.com/articles/2008/03/12/news/regional/northeast/news08.txt|archive-date=July 16, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

He has been a member of Queens Community Board 7. Previously, he unsuccessfully challenged local state senator Toby Ann Stavisky in 2008.<ref name="Rhoades">{{cite news|url=http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20383288&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574902&rfi=6|title=Can Republican Koo beat Flushing Dem?|author=Liz Rhoades|publisher=Queens Chronicle|date=October 29, 2009|accessdate=November 20, 2009}}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He has been called the "Mayor" of Flushing.

In January 2012,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120123/flushing/queens-city-councilman-peter-koo-defects-democrats |title=Queens City Councilman Peter Koo Defects to Democrats |work=DNAinfo |date=January 23, 2012 |accessdate=September 24, 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925144337/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120123/flushing/queens-city-councilman-peter-koo-defects-democrats |archivedate=September 25, 2015 }}</ref> Koo changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democratic.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/city-councilman-peter-koo-flushing-defect-democratic-party-article-1.1009456 | location=New York | work=Daily News | title=Queens Councilman Peter Koo flips from Republican to Democrat | first=Lisa L. | last=Colangelo | date=January 23, 2012}}</ref>

In 2018, Koo proposed legislation before being term limited out of The New York City Council to ban smoking cigarettes while walking.<ref>https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/smoking-and-walking-ban-new-york-city-councilman-peter-koo/</ref>

==New York City Council== Koo was elected to the city council seat on November 3, 2009, defeating Democratic Party nominee Yen Chou, Working Families Party nominee S.J. Jung, and Green Party nominee Evergreen Chou. He assumed the position that was held by John Liu, the New York City Comptroller.<ref name="Sheets">{{cite news|url=http://www.boropolitics.com/stories/1/14/01_14_1104_chou_vs_koo_1.html|title=Republican Peter Koo defeats Chou in Flushing Council race|publisher=Boro Politics|author=Connor Adams Sheets|date=November 4, 2009|accessdate=November 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708084051/http://www.boropolitics.com/stories/1/14/01_14_1104_chou_vs_koo_1.html|archive-date=July 8, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was term limited out of office at the end of 2021. {| class="wikitable collapsible"

|- valign=bottom ! colspan=4 | Election history |- valign=bottom ! Location ! Year ! Election ! Results

|- ! NY Senate District 16 | 2008 | {{party shading/hold}}|General | '''√ Toby Ann Stavisky (D) 69.44%''' Peter Koo (R) 30.56%

|- ! NYC Council District 20 | 2009 | {{party<ref>{{cite web|title=New York Council|url=http://council.nyc.gov/d20/html/members/home.shtml|accessdate=December 13, 2016}}</ref> shading/hold}}|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 | {{party shading/hold}}|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 | {{party<ref>{{cite web|title=New York Council|url=http://council.nyc.gov/d20/html/members/home.shtml|accessdate=December 13, 2016}}</ref> shading/hold}}|Primary | '''√ Peter Koo 57.9%''' Alison Tan 41.67% <ref>{{Cite web |last=Monteverdi |first=Suzanne |date=2017-09-13 |title=Incumbent Peter Koo wins Democratic primary for Flushing's Council District seat – QNS.com |url=https://qns.com/2017/09/incumbent-peter-koo-wins-democratic-primary-flushings-council-district-seat/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=qns.com |language=en-US}}</ref> |} Koo serves on the following New York City Council committees:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://council.nyc.gov/district-20/|title=District 20|website=Peter Koo|language=en-US|access-date=April 25, 2018}}</ref>

* Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing * Economic Development * Land Use ** Landmarks, Public Siting, and Maritime Uses (subcommittee of Land Use Committee) * Parks and Recreation * Technology (He serves as chair of this committee.) * Transportation

Caucuses *Black, Latino/a, and Asian Caucus

==Personal life== Peter has been married for 26 years and has two children, a boy and a girl.

== References == {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://council.nyc.gov/d20/html/members/home.shtml Councilman Peter Koo (official site)] *[https://twitter.com/CMPeterKoo?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor @CMPeterKoo (official Twitter)] *[http://www.peterkoo.com/ Re-elect Peter Koo for City Council (campaign site)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302130535/http://www.peterkoo.com/ |date=March 2, 2021 }} {{S-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=John Liu}} {{s-ttl|title=New York City Council, 20th district|years=2010–2021}} {{s-aft|after=Sandra Ung}} {{S-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koo, Peter}} Category:1952 births Category:21st-century New York (state) politicians Category:American businesspeople in retailing Category:American politicians of Chinese descent Category:Asian-American New York City Council members Category:Asian-American people in New York (state) politics Category:American businesspeople in the pharmaceutical industry Category:Chinese emigrants to the United States Category:Living people Category:Businesspeople from New York (state) Category:New York (state) Democrats Category:New York (state) Republicans Category:New York City Council members Category:Politicians from Queens, New York Category:Pharmacists from New York City Category:21st-century American pharmacists Category:Politicians from Shanghai Category:University of New Mexico alumni