8 Asians

City Councilmember Sam Yoon has been running for the mayor of Boston.  With the primary election on September 22nd, The Boston Globe did a nice profile of Yoon and his campaign, highlighting his background and breakthrough election in 2005:

“In a city long dominated by pols of Irish and Italian descent, the first Asian-American elected official in Boston history is an exotic presence. Yoon, a boyish-looking 39, uses it to his advantage with his elderly audience… On the campaign trail, Yoon uses his ethnicity as a calling card and a symbol of Boston’s transformation. Indeed, he views his breakthrough election in 2005 to one of four at-large City Council seats as a harbinger. He defeated four Irish-American candidates, including a son of a former mayor, the daughter of another, and the son of a former secretary of state.”

Yoon, along with the other mayoral candidates, are trying to unseat 16 year incumbant Mayor Tom Menino, Boston’s longest serving mayor in its history. Menino promised when he first ran for mayor that he would only serve two terms…  Whites make up 56% of the Boston’s population, with the Irish making up almost 16% and the Italian 8.3% – which surprisingly, matches the Asian American population.

There were previous reports and complaints that Yoon’s appeal to non-Bostonians, with him traveling around the United States trying to raise money for his campaign — often at Asian American related political fundraisers, of which I’ve attended in the past.  Without the emotional and financial support of the Asian American community, Yoon’s  mayoral campaign would not have gotten as far as it has and  he has recorded a special thank you message, as well as an additional appeal for last minute contributions. Realistically, this campaign wouldn’t have been possible without generous donations from the Asian-American community. Yoon, as well as many other candidates, raise money outside of their geographic constituency to maximize every legal advantage that they can. As an incumbent, Menino already has a built-in advantage.

As a former Massachusetts resident, I have at least some interest and connection to Boston and to Yoon — most of you reading this do not. But after reading and learning more about Yoon, if you feel he is the kind of mayor that will bring a new face and kind of leadership to Boston, please do support him. In the first debate, in an Op-Ed Boston Globe columnist Scot Lehigh gave Yoon the edge as the most credible challenger to Mayor Menino.