Sam Yoon

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Supporters of Yoon's mayoral campaign marching in the 2009 Dorchester Day Parade Dot Day 2009 (3604335417).jpg
Supporters of Yoon's mayoral campaign marching in the 2009 Dorchester Day Parade

On February 8, 2009, Yoon announced he would be running for Mayor of Boston. [11] [12]

Yoon ran on a platform that advocated transparency and accountability at City Hall. He proposed eliminating the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), an organization responsible for planning and development in Boston, and replacing it with community-focused development agency. [13] Yoon also proposed overhauling Boston's transportation infrastructure, advocating a plan that would increase bike accessibility and would promote rapid transit. [14]

Yoon's consultants included Jim Spencer, of the Campaign Network, a direct mail specialist who was the chief strategist on Yoon's city council runs; Jeff Hewitt, a media specialist who was his lead fundraising consultant; Joe Trippi, a social networking specialist who was the former campaign manager for Howard Dean's Presidential Campaign. Yoon's pollster was Tom Kiley, who previously worked for Deval Patrick and Joe Kennedy.

Yoon's strategy was to mobilize progressive voters in Boston who may have voted for Deval Patrick and Barack Obama, but who do not participate in municipal elections, which traditionally have low turnout. [15] On July 11, Yoon's campaign had a volunteer recruitment session with Joe Trippi which detailed Yoon's strategy for winning. [16]

Yoon's campaign was the first Boston mayoral campaign by a candidate of East Asian descent. [17]

Yoon placed third among four candidates in the September 22nd primary, receiving 21.16% of the vote. Only the top two finishers advance to the general election. After the election, second-place finisher Michael Flaherty and Yoon announced they had teamed up with Yoon becoming an unofficial running mate to Flaherty, with Flaherty promising to appoint Yoon "deputy mayor" if he won. The City of Boston government charter does not officially include a position of deputy mayor. What Yoon as deputy mayor might have done, including how he might have been paid, was never officially announced. Critics charged that this was a cheap political move by Flaherty designed to bring in minority and other voters that might not otherwise vote in the general election. Others praised it as a savvy strategic decision to bring more inclusiveness to City Hall. [18] [19]

Michael Flaherty and his unofficial running mate Sam Yoon went on to lose to incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino in the November 3 general election with 42.43% to Menino's 57.27%.

Subsequent career

After his defeat, Yoon said that the Boston establishment shut him out, and he was unable to find work. He announced his decision to leave Boston for Washington, D.C., on June 29, 2010. [20] In Washington, he briefly served as a senior policy advisor in the Department of Labor. He was previously executive director of NACEDA, and was appointed in 2012 as the first full-time Executive Director of the Council of Korean Americans (CKA). [21]

Asian Political Leadership Fund

Yoon is a co-founder of the Asian Political Leadership Fund, a federally designated 527 group whose purpose is to promote political leadership from within the Asian-American community.

Personal life

Yoon and his wife live in the Washington, D.C., area with their children. [22]

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References

  1. ↑ Bernstein, David (June 27, 2010). "Sam Yoon Leaving Boston". The Boston Phoenix.
  2. 1 2 3 Allis, Sam (December 18, 2005). "The New Kid". The Boston Globe.
  3. ↑ Viser, Matt (April 12, 2007). "Descendants debate". The Boston Globe.
  4. ↑ Official Site Archived 2009-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
  5. 1 2 3 "Sam Yoon for Mayor » MEET SAM". Archived from the original on 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
  6. ↑ "Boston Election Results: Voters Yesterday Picked The City's Mayor, Four At-large City Councilors, and Nine District Councilors". The Boston Globe. November 9, 2005. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Students get out the vote in Chinatown". The Tufts Daily. 18 November 2005. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  8. ↑ 2007 Boston City Councilor At-Large Election Results
  9. ↑ Thang, M. (September 1, 2006). "Boston's First Asian Councilor: 8 Months Later". Sampan.
  10. ↑ Ertischeck, David (February 25, 2009). "Mayoral Candidate Profile: Sam Yoon". Wicked Local.
  11. ↑ Drake, John C. (February 8, 2009). "Yoon announces candidacy for mayor". The Boston Globe.
  12. ↑ "YouTube". YouTube . Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
  13. ↑ "Sam Yoon seeks to strip BRA power - BostonHerald.com". www.bostonherald.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-18.
  14. ↑ Yglesias, Matthew (June 16, 2009). "Sam Yoon Running for Mayor in Boston on Transportation Reform Agenda". Think Progress.
  15. ↑ Moskowitz, Eric (July 19, 2009). "Flaherty, Yoon pin hopes on new voters". The Boston Globe.
  16. ↑ Moskowitz, Eric (July 12, 2009). "Yoon ushers in new wave of volunteers". The Boston Globe.
  17. ↑ Kashinsky, Lisa (29 August 2021). "Breakthrough mayor's race creates tough choice for Boston". POLITICO.
  18. ↑ "Sam Yoon role: Boon or bust for Michael Flaherty? - BostonHerald.com". www.bostonherald.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-21.
  19. ↑ Levenson, Michael (September 29, 2009). "Yoon is joining Flaherty as deputy". The Boston Globe.
  20. ↑ "Sam Yoon Leaves Politics, Boston". WBUR. June 29, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Sam Youn". Council of Korean Americans. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  22. ↑ "Sam Yoon".
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Sam Yoon
Sam yoon (1).jpg
Yoon in 2008
Member of the Boston City Council At-large
In office
2006–2010