Julie Won announcing her candidacy at a press conference by the Sunnyside Arch Monday. (Image provided by the Julie Won for City Council campaign)
Oct. 20, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
Another candidate has joined the race for the 26th District Council seat.
Julie Won, a Long Island City resident and Community Board 2 member, held a press conference in Sunnyside Monday to announce that she is running in the Democratic primary next June for the seat that represents Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City and a portion of Astoria.
The seat is currently held by Jimmy Van Bramer who will be forced to step down at the end of next year due to term limits. Won is one of 13 Democrats vying for the seat.
Won, a Korean immigrant, said she will fight for a fair and just recovery for all residents as the city looks to overcome the current economic crisis.
“With COVID-19 and the financial crisis looming over our city, too many New Yorkers are teetering on the edge of disaster,” Won said in a statement.
“I will put working families first and build coalitions to fight for us all,” she said.
Won and her family immigrated to the United States amid the South Korean financial crisis in 1998 and they have worked for local small businesses since.
She said that small businesses are struggling and need urgent financial aid to help cover rent and business insurance costs. She wants small businesses prioritized ahead of corporate interests during the city’s economic recovery.
Won also said that she will fight for workers’ rights, healthcare coverage for the unemployed and believes in a community-led holistic approach to crime prevention. She wants streets to be designed to ensure pedestrian safety as well as to promote alternative modes of transportation like bicycles, e-bikes and scooters.
She is a board member of the Korean-American Association of Greater New York, serves on the Queens Borough President’s Complete Count Committee and volunteers with local mutual aid funds.
Won has spent the last seven years employed in the technology industry where she works on innovating services provided by the government, non-profit organizations and businesses.
She has raised more than $20,000 to launch her campaign.
Won will be taking on a slew of candidates in the primary including: Tavo Bortoli; Lorenzo Brea; Julia Forman; Ben Guttmann; Denise Keehan-Smith; Heajin ‘Hailie’ Kim; Jesse Laymon; Sultan Maruf; Brent O’Leary; Bianca Ozeri; Julie Won and Ebony Young.
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