Primary Election Date: 06/09/2009
General Election Date: 11/03/2009

Who Am I?

As a Korean American immigrant who came to America at age 14, I feel blessed every single day to call myself an American. Because I have lived in other countries that did not have a democratic form of government, I have devoted my professional career as well as my life's passion to serving the public and those with a limited voice in our country.

I have over 20 years of experience working to elect Democratic candidates at the federal, state and local levels, and have been involved in dozens of progressive and grassroots causes in both paid and unpaid positions.

Since graduating from law school in 1995, I moved to the national capitol region to work for the federal government in both executive and legislative branches. My most recent job in government was serving as chief counsel to U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) on the Senate Judiciary Committee where I helped Senate Democrats fight the Bush right wing agenda.

When I left government two years ago, I took a private sector law job, while volunteering just as many hours for the Obama for America campaign. From late 2007 through the end of the campaign, I was the lead unpaid grassroots coordinator for the Obama campaign in Fairfax County, VA, helping Obama win both the primary and general elections there.

During the Obama campaign, I was approached by a number of local supporters who urged me to consider running for office myself. In December, I filed as a candidate for the VA House of Delegates for the 35th District, in the heart of Fairfax County.

Why Am I Running?

I decided to run for office because I believe we are facing a unique moment in history where the American people are demanding more from their government. They are asking for competence and compassion from public servants so that the government can be there for those who need help. They are asking for solutions over partisan gridlock and honesty over spin.

We are facing so many problems at the same time that we cannot afford to sit back and let politics as usual control our nation's and our states' capitols. Instead, we need public servants in all levels of government who will work hard everyday to tackle these problems and to show real results.

When our nation elected Barack Obama as president, we did so not only because we wanted change at the national level, but also because he represents an opportunity to implement real change at all levels of our governments. He asked each of us to step up and to take part in this effort to change the way government works. Having been involved with this campaign for change from for very start, I decided to step up as well, and to offer myself as an agent for change at the local level.

If elected as a state delegate from Fairfax County, Virginia, I will put the needs of my district first, as my highest priority. We have so many critical problems as addressed below, and I will focus my attention on calling meetings of stakeholders, talking with voters at the grassroots levels, and providing a transparent venue to debate the causes of problems and possible solutions in a cordial and respectful atmosphere.

My goal is to always work together with everyone who wants to be heard, so that I can then take and implement common sense solutions in Richmond on behalf of our constituents who expect their leaders to represent them.

Hold Me Accountable!

First is transportation. In my district, we are beginning to face tremendous traffic congestion problems as a result of the anticipated Metroline extension to the Dulles Airport which will impact the major roads in my district, and the expansion of the I-66. There are other transportation concerns as well such as HOV lanes, use of mass transit buses and other modes, expanding use of telecommuting, and well-planned growth along public transportation routes. I acknowledge that no one elected official can solve these huge issues alone, but I will constantly make this my priority in dealing with other government officials and stakeholders, to ensure that we adopt long term solutions and needed funding to address these issues.

Second is public education. Fairfax County has a reputation for having great public schools, which is one reason that so many families continue to move into our county. Yet, just below the surface, there are danger signs pointing to problems that face our schools, such as low pay for teachers that lead to attrition, budgetary constraints that lead to overcrowded classrooms and the lack of support for non-teacher professionals on campus who serve a vital role in a child's education. I will work with the local school board, county officials, teachers, parents and others to develop innovative solutions to these problems so that we can continue to make our schools what they ought to be.

Third, the national economic downturn is beginning to impact our local economy as well. We need to do all we can to turn the economy around by encouraging more credit to be made available to local small businesses and to continue to bring new jobs into the district. We also need to think about the opportunity that this moment presents to spur a new green economy. We cannot continue to rely on traditional sources of energy that is leading us to continued dependence on foreign oil and to environmental concerns. Instead, we need to move toward innovative renewable and alternative sources of energy as well as to develop strong standards on conservation and efficiency.

My DFA values:

I am a social progressive because I believe that the Constitution is a living document that guarantees equality and justice only if everyone who wants those rights exercises those rights. I have worked to take the words in the Constitution and make them live up to their ideals with action.

I am fiscally responsible because I believe that we were placed on this earth to be caretakers, not owners, of our resources. In order to live a prudent life that provides for the common good, we have no choice but to be fiscally responsible so that others around the world as well as our future generations are not burdened by the selfish lifestyles of just some of us.

My Campaign is People-Powered!

My campaign was started with some of the same grassroots volunteers that I helped lead in my county on behalf the Obama campaign. In December 2007, I founded "Fairfax for Obama" which was an all-grassroots volunteer based campaign consisting of hundreds of volunteers who worked around the clock to deliver the county for Obama for both the primary and general elections. Most of those volunteers are now part of my campaign for the state legislature, so I start with a strong grassroots base.

In addition, I have created an all-volunteer leadership team in my district consisting of 12 campaign co-chairs and 18 precinct team leaders who bring years of grassroots campaigning experience to my campaign. These 30 volunteers plus 5 paid staffers make up my "35 for 35" team, who will help me win the 35th District.

Finally, I have been a grassroots campaign volunteer and community organizer for over 20 years. As an immigrant, I have worked with dozens of grassroots community groups across the country to help bring their voices to policy makers. I have also knocked on doors and made calls on behalf of numerous Democratic candidates so I very experienced in running a grassroots campaign.