Hailie Kim, a Woodside resident, announced Saturday that she is running to represent the 26th Council District that is currently represented by Julie Won. The Democratic primary is scheduled for June 2023. (Photo: courtesy of Hailie Kim for City Council)
Dec. 12, 2022 By Christian Murray
The Democratic primaries for city council seats take place next June and Councilmember Julie Won officially has a challenger for the 26th District seat to represents western Queens.
Hailie Kim, a Sunnyside resident who ran in the Democratic primary for the seat last year, launched her campaign Saturday at Doughboy Plaza in Woodside. She says her campaign will focus on elevating public education, noting her opposition to this year’s cuts to the education budget by Mayor Eric Adams and the city council.
Adams slashed the education budget by approximately $400 million. Kim said the budget should be increased, not pared back.
The borders of the 26th Council District that was determined by the NYC Districting Commission in October. (Source: redistrictingandyou.org)
The mayor cut the education budget noting that public school enrollment was down, and that the city was facing a budget cliff—with federal COVID relief about to run out. The city council voted in support of the budget.
Won defended her vote in favor of the budget at the time, saying that she faced an up or down vote.
“The vote on our city’s budget is not neatly confined by multiple votes for each area– but a single vote for the budget in its entirety. This meant a “No” vote on the budget would mean a vote against allotted funding for hard fought historical funding for immigrants, much needed human service cost of living adjustments….”
Kim said that the cuts to the education budget will have a big impact on immigrants.
“This is a difficult time for Queens families, especially immigrant students, and I am running to serve our community because we deserve so much more than this,” Kim said. “We need to set our expectations higher. This is our home, and I will fight for us.”
Kim, whose family immigrated to Woodside from South Korea when she was a child, attributes public education as having “a transformational effect on her family.”
Her mother worked as a nail technician and her father ran a small business. Kim, who is now fully focused on running for city council, is a former Hunter College adjunct/educator and former Minkwon Center for Community Action staff member.
As a city council member, Kim said she would not only restore and increase education funding from 3-K to CUNY, but also fight for deeply affordable social housing, press for lower property taxes for working-class families, and advocate for true community safety.
Kim came in eighth in last year’s primary in a 15th person race in which Won prevailed.
Won, who also immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea as a child, was elected to a two-year term, with the term shortened from the traditional four-year term due to redistricting. The winner of next year’s race will also only be elected to serve two years.
Two other candidates have filed to run for the seat. Lorenzo Brea, who finished 14th in last year’s Democratic primary for the seat, has filed. So too has Marvin Jeffcoat, a Republican, who Won defeated in November’s general election.
Hailie Kim announced Saturday at Doughboy Plaza in Woodside that she is running to represent the 26th Council District. The Democratic primary is scheduled for June 2023. (Photo: Hailie Kim for city council)
Hailie Kim was interviewed by the Queens Post last year prior to the Democratic primary in 2021. The following is a recording of that interview.
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9 Comments
All she cares about is illegal. What about the the people that are here legally?
Amazing, she don’t care.
Julie Won has been a disappointment, especially since I voted for her. Her positions on crime have created a danger to the law abiding community she has been elected to serve with her pro-criminal stance. I and others are looking forward to voting for new representation in the next election.
Why would you vote for any Democratic Socialist ever ?
Try voting Republican next time.
WHRN MS. KIM SAYS IMMIGRANTS NEED FUNDING,
ARE THEY ILLEGAL OR LEGAL IMMIGRANTS ? HAVE WE MONEY FOR NYCHA RESIDRNTS AND SCHOOLS ALREADY BECAUSE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HOUSING EYC…ETC… WORRY ABOUT CRIME ON STREETS AND SUBWAYS. HOCHUL THE YOKEL FOOLED NYC VOTERS THAT SHE WILL BE TOIGH ON CRIME. THE ELECTION IS OVER BACK TO STATUS QUO.
COP SURGE IN SUBWAYS EILL BE OVER AFTER HOLIDAYS . I T IS NOT SUSTAINABLE. MTA IS SPENDING $1 MILLION A MONTH ON STOPPING FAREBEATERS. IN NYC CKTY COUNCIL MEETING ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBER DATLENE MEALY COULD ARGUE WITH MTA HONCHO RICHARD DAVEY IS WHY DIDN’T THOSE JOBS GO TO UNION MEMBERS INSTEAD OF A PRIVATE COMPANY. YOJ THE PUBLIC AND YOUR DAFETY DO NIT MATTER TO THESE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS DO.
REMEMBER ADAMS CUT THE SCHOOL BUDGET AMONG OTHER CITY SERVICES. THE SCHOOL.ENROLLMENT WAS DOWN BUT ILLEGAL’S CHILDTEN STARTED ENROLLING A LITTLE AFTER THAT AND THEY NEEDED SPANISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS, WHICH THEY GOT FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. WAKE UP NYC VOTETS YOU PUT HOCHUL AND ALL OF YHESE DEMOCRATIC FAR LEFT COUNCIL.MEMBERS INTO POWER. ALBANY DEM . FAR LEFT SOCIALISTS TOO. CARL HEASTIE,ANDREA STEWART- COUSINS,SCHUMER,AOC. ETC…YOU GOT WHAT YOU VOTED FOR DO NOT COOMPLAIN. BEWARE HOWEVER. CONGEZTION PRICING OS COMING. A MTA FARE HIKE ON SUBWAYS AND BJSES AND OR CUTS IN SERVICE. WR HAVE HEARD THESE THREATS OF CRY POVERTY BEFORE FROM A BLOATED WASTEFUL AGENCY SUCH AD THE MTA. THE MTA IS ALSO TALKING TOLLS ON BRIDGES AND TUNNELS AGAIN. THE PA OF NY AND NJ IS PROPOSING RAISING TOLLS ON THEIR BRIDGES AND THRUWAYS. TAX AND SPEND DEMOCRATS HURT TBE HATD WORKING PEOPLE.GIVE MONEY TO ILLRGALS AND HATE GRIUPS AS WE SAW iIN THE ANT-ASIAN RANT FROM CITY COUNCIL FAR LEFT GROUP VOCAL NY BY DOUGLAS POWELL. THEY GET CITY TAXPAYER MONDY FROM THE CITY COUNCIL FOR HATE.
JUST TERRIBLE THE WAY THE COUNCIL. DID NOTHING ABOUT HIS RANT.
TLDR – CRAZY MAN SCREAMS FROM FRONT PORCH
SORRY YOU CAN’T SEE THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR HORRIBLE CITY JR.
Only one of us seems to hate the city so get to packing friend. Florida likely has a nice soft landing spot for you.
His wife is too scared to move anywhere. Yeah, I know….it makes zero sense, but that’s his excuse.