Ronnie Cho

Ronnie Cho

Democratic Party

Education

Bachelor's

Arizona State University

Personal

Profession

Network executive

Contact

Personal website

Ronnie Cho was a Democratic candidate for District 2 representative on the New York City Council in New York. He was defeated in the primary election on September 12, 2017. Click here to read Cho's response to Ballotpedia's 2017 municipal candidate survey.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Cho attended Arizona State University.

At the time of his 2017 run for city council, Cho was the vice president and head of public affairs for MTV. His experience also includes service as a board member for The Alliance for Youth Organizing and work as the associate director of public engagement for the Obama administration, a field director for Obama for America 2008, a campaign aide for presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D), a community editor for The Daily Beast, a public safety and homeland security program analyst for the Federal Communications Commission, and an assistant director of legislative affairs for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Elections

2017

See also: Mayoral election in New York, New York (2017) and Municipal elections in New York, New York (2017)

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for the District 2 seat on the New York City Council.

New York City Council, District 2 Democratic Primary Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Carlina Rivera	60.54%	8,354
Mary Silver	16.54%	2,282
Ronnie Cho	8.56%	1,181
Jorge Vasquez	7.54%	1,040
Jasmin Sanchez	4.62%	638
Erin Hussein	1.93%	267
Write-in votes	0.28%	38
Total Votes		13,800
Source: New York City Board of Elections, "2017 Primary: Certified Results," accessed September 28, 2017

Campaign themes

2017

See also: Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey

Cho participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

“	I believe the most pressing issue facing my neighborhood is affordability for both residents and small business owners. Mom and pop stores and families in District 2 are being priced out of our community and we cannot let District 2 become riddled with empty storefronts or chain stores or exclusively occupied by the ultra-wealthy in glass and steel condos. The first piece of legislation I would introduce is a small business and minority and women business rent stabilization bill. Small businesses should not be subjected to the arbitrary rent increases as large commercial tenants; it is punitive toward their business success. We need to protect our small businesses, particularly our minority and women owned small businesses, from unscrupulous landlords who raise rents on our hardworking mom and pop shop owners to make way for national chain stores. We need to bolster and celebrate the diversity and unique character of our small businesses and local economy.	”
—Ronnie Cho (September 6, 2017)

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue	Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	Housing	7	Environment
2	Unemployment	8	City services (trash, utilities, etc.)
3	K-12 education	9	Public pensions/retirement funds
4	Transportation	10	Crime reduction/prevention
5	Civil rights	11	Government transparency
6	Homelessness	12	Recreational opportunities

Nationwide municipal issues

The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.

Question	Response
Is it important for the city’s budget to be balanced?Answer options: Not important; Not important, but required by state law; A little important; A little important, but required by state law; Important; Very important	Important
Which level of government do you feel should set a minimum wage?Answer options: None, Local, State, Federal	Local
How do you think your city should emphasize economic development? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Changing zoning restrictions, Create a more competitive business climate, Focusing on small business development, Instituting a citywide minimum wage, Recruiting new businesses to your city, Regulatory and licensing reforms, and tax reform	Focusing on small business development
What is the one thing you’re most proud of about your city?	I am proud of New York City’s progressive legacy from being the first in the country to set laws for higher labor standards and collective bargaining to the frontlines of progressive fights for women’s rights, LGBTQ equality and racial justice. But we need to do more now to push for a bigger bolder progressive agenda from single payer healthcare to legalizing recreational marijuana and economic justice that will make NYC work for everyone. Also I am super proud of the New York Yankees.
What is the one thing you’d most like to change about your city?	Residents across District 2 are been priced out and we need to protect our neighborhood's affordability. First, I promise to fight for tenants. I will create a public list of predatory landlords and lenders and pursue litigation where necessarily with harsh penalties. I will advocate for increased transparency and affordable housing ratios for developers who take advantage of tax abatements and incentives like J-51 and 421-a to pad their pockets. Second, we need to protect our small businesses from closing shop from rising rents and being hit with additional taxes. The economic vibrancy of our district allows us to maintain the unique character and diversity in our district without heeling to midtown developers. I will enact commercial rent stabilization so that the survival of our local mom-and-pop shops are not at the mercy of landlords. It is well past time that council representatives, especially those from Lower Manhattan, stand up and halt the midtown creep. We need to keep our community unique, affordable, and accessible to everyone.
Do you approve of the city's approach to policing and public safety? What changes, if any, do you think the city should make?	I believe the city could have a better approach to policing and public safety. We must get rid of broken windows policies. We need to create smarter laws that enhance our officers’ ability to effectively and safely do their jobs while rebuilding community trust in our police officers. We need to prioritize enforcement of laws that keep us safe from serious crimes over petty offenses that distracts officers from the police work that our community requires.
Do you approve of the city's sanctuary policy? What changes, if any, do you think the city should make?	I strongly stand with all immigrants and support New York City as a sanctuary city. My parents faced adversity when they came to this country and I understand firsthand how an inclusive and diverse community can support immigrant families like mine. America didn’t become a great nation by pushing people away, by antagonizing immigrants and folks who wanted to be Americans. We need to support programs that strengthen our protections of immigrant communities and live up to our New York values that embrace diversity.
Do you approve of the city's approach to public transportation? What changes, if any, do you think the city should make?	This truly has been the 'Summer of Hell' for commuters across all five boroughs. From the F train failure that happened right in District 2, the A train derailment in upper Manhattan, to the ongoing delays, we need serious capital funds to repair our ever-going, rusty transportation system. I believe we need to stop looking for blame by passing the buck. Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio need to stop pointing fingers at each other for its funding problems and come together with viable solutions. The subway’s summer of hell is the result of an aging infrastructure system that isn’t seeing improvements because of the lack of political courage and vision in Albany and City Hall. The City Council should demand that the city’s MTA capital fund be used to make necessary repairs from fixing signals to rusting tracks and to take proactive measures where they can. And with the impending closure of the L train, we need to put investment in long-term repairs and build out 21st century alternatives. From Vision Zero’s plan to expand bike paths as seen on 2nd Avenue to increasing ferry transportation across the East River, I am committed to seeing more affordable and alternative routes of transportation for all New Yorkers. The City Council should create dedicated bus lanes across the Williamsburg Bridge and increase the number of M14A, M14D and M9 buses. We should also explore increasing ferry service across the East River from Williamsburg to the East Village and possibly more creative solutions like a gondola/tramway adjacent to the Williamsburg Bridge similar to the one to and from Roosevelt Island and midtown Manhattan. I am committing to making sure we implement a transportation solution that increases accessibility, safety, reliability and sustainability.
Do you approve of the city's approach to housing policy? What changes, if any, do you think the city should make?	The city’s approach to housing needs vast improvements. First we need to protect the affordable housing we already have and ensure our eligible residents subscribe to the programs we have like SCRIE and DRIE. Second, when constructing new developments, we should be increasing the minimum ratio of market-rate to affordable housing from 80:20 to possibly starting at 50:50. We need more affordable housing stock and 20% is simply not enough for our growing need. And we need to find creative solutions through community land trusts or other means to create affordable housing on unused, empty city lots. And lastly, we need to have the political courage to stand up to the industry and ask more from developers when they take advantage of tax abatement laws like 421-A and J-51. Developers that take advantage of these tax benefits must also ensure they do not underpay workers, make conditions unsafe for laborers and provide additional investments that improve the surrounding community.

Cho provided the following additional comments with the survey:

“	New York City needs a new generation of leadership that is proactive, responsive and accessible.	”
—Ronnie Cho (2017)

Additional themes

Cho's campaign website highlighted the following issues. Click "show" on the boxes below for more information about his positions.

Affordable Housing

"Housing is a basic human right. Nonetheless, affordable housing has become a scarcity amidst rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods. As councilman, Ronnie will increase awareness of tenants rights and advocate for affordable rents by holding enforcement entities accountable and protecting the most vulnerable in the district. Ronnie will take a strong look at increasing oversight on landlords who take advantage of affordable housing initiatives to increase their bottom line. Landlords and developers cannot take advantage of their tenants, making our neighborhoods continually less affordable."

Public Housing

"From the Jacob Riis to the Baruch Houses, District 2 has many public housing developments where conditions need to be rapidly improved. Under President Trump’s new federal budget, New York City Housing Authority will see a $75 million cut. As a city and as a community, we need creative solutions and a commitment to long term improvements for NYCHA buildings and its residents. For instance, community held land banks have been proven to be an effective way to revitalize unused lands, rather than just selling the land to developers. NYCHA would maintain title to the land — potentially through a community land trust model — and work with nonprofit developers to achieve deeper and permanent affordability from green and recreational space to possible new affordable housing. And secondly, we need to take a hard look at NYCHA’s budgets and put serious capital into major repairs. We must make long term investment rather than stop gap measures. The district needs a council member who will fight for continued NYCHA funding, and who will work to provide proactive solutions to the problems faced by NYCHA tenants."

Education

"Having attended public school his whole life, Ronnie understands the transformational power of quality public school education in shaping a child’s future as well as to the communities they live in. He has mentored young kids in the city along with New York Yankee Derek Jeter, and will continue to work towards improving public schools through increased funding, greater access to technology, and stronger support for teachers."

Jobs, Small Businesses and Opportunity

"Ronnie’s parents were small business owners and understands the role of small businesses as the backbone of any community. Recently, he has witnessed many small and family owned businesses close their doors or get replaced by larger chain stores. Ronnie supports a repeal of the commercial rent tax. This arbitrarily assessed tax puts business owners in District 2 at a disadvantage, and makes it difficult for community institutions to keep their doors open. Additionally, Ronnie supports commercial rent stabilization for small locally owned businesses, especially for women and minority-owned businesses. Small businesses should not be subjected to the same rent increases as large commercial tenants; it is punitive toward their business success. Ronnie will work alongside small business owners to protect and bring back local cafes, restaurants, professional creatives and boutiques to our many neighborhoods that have lost them over time."

Transportation

"Our once-vibrant public transit system is crumbling. The regular delays, accidents, and malfunctions are unacceptable to everyday New Yorkers. As councilman, Ronnie will hold Gracie Mansion and Albany accountable for funding transportation and will explore creative solutions to the L train shutdown, from increased ferry service to dedicated bus lanes across the Williamsburg Bridge. He will fight to allocate more funds to the maintenance of our subway system and increase the availability of options in and around District 2 to ensure that New Yorkers don’t have to restructure their entire lives due to a rusty system."

LGBTQ Rights

"Although America has made great strides towards LGBTQ equality over the past decade, constant vigilance on a local level is required to ensure that the steps forward we have made are not walked back. While Republicans in Washington are doing everything they can to circumvent federal protections, Ronnie will make sure New York City enforces its robust anti-discrimination laws and that every New Yorker is safe and respected in their city. LGBTQ rights are especially personal to Ronnie. During his time at MTV, he won an Emmy for The T Word, a documentary co-produced by Laverne Cox celebrating transgender youth. Ronnie wants New York City to be a safe place where the most vulnerable can find their voices."

Senior Citizens

"One of the most important functions of a society is to take care of those who have devoted their lives to it. Thirteen percent of New York City, and over 50,000 residents of District 2 are senior citizens. As councilman, Ronnie will work to increase awareness of resources and services currently available to seniors and will advocate for the creation of new programs to better care for seniors in District 2 and beyond. As city councilman, Ronnie will increase constituent services from increased awareness of Medicare’s free annual wellness screening to being a resource for translation services at health care and senior centers for our non-English speaking seniors. Ronnie believes in fighting to ensure that our seniors live happier, healthier, and longer lives."

Criminal Justice Reform

"The City Council has the unique opportunity to enact substantive criminal justice reform while state and federal policymakers remain paralyzed by partisanship. Ronnie has been a staunch ally of Black Lives Matter and will continue to advocate for it on the City Council. He will fight for sentencing reform such as the legalization of recreational marijuana, and comprehensive dialogue between police and communities. The current system is unsustainable and we cannot continue to allow inequitable policies to disproportionately target New York City’s communities of color."

Immigrant Rights

"The son of Korean American immigrants in a predominantly white and Latino neighborhood, Ronnie grew up being continuously reminded that he was different from other kids in his community. Ronnie knows firsthand the challenges of being an immigrant in America, and as councilman will be a staunch advocate for immigrants in District 2 and throughout New York. Even today, immigrants of all stripes are discriminated against in the workplace and in housing, and Ronnie will fight to end that discrimination and exploitation because he knows immigrants and their experience are integral components of the American dream. When Ronnie worked in President Obama’s White House, he fought for comprehensive immigration reform and assisted in the planning and implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Trump administration’s attitude toward immigrants is cruel and unnecessarily punitive. As councilman Ronnie will fight for the rights of all immigrants in District 2 and in New York City, regardless of their immigration status, and will strongly support a pathway to citizenship for those already living in our country."

Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability

"Climate change is one of the most pressing threats to our economy and our security that we will ever face. District 2 knows firsthand the dangers of climate change, having borne the brunt of Superstorm Sandy in 2012. New York must take its place as a leader among American cities in going green because we have the most to lose. The largest source of carbon emissions in the city is not cars, but buildings. Ronnie knows we need to be proactive in our everyday energy efficiency. Ronnie will prioritize educating businesses about better and more efficient use of electricity, and he’ll work with Con Edison to inform residents on the best ways to go green at home. Combatting climate change is not just the smart choice to make, but also the economical one. There is such a great opportunity to create jobs in District 2 through a green collar jobs like building retrofitting. Ronnie believes it’s time to work with the Department of Buildings, Department of Environmental Protection, and Department of City Planning to do major 21st century upgrades to every building from moving power generators above flood levels to exploring the possibility of solar panels on major buildings."

Healthcare

"Healthcare is a basic human right, and every New Yorker in District 2 and elsewhere deserves affordable and accessible health care. Ronnie helped implement Obamacare while at the White House, ensuring that millions of young Americans were aware of all their coverage options, and he believes we must preserve and protect Obamacare from Republican assault. Ronnie also knows we must go further. The next step for New York City is a single-payer health care system that ensures all New Yorkers have easy and affordable access to the treatment, medication, and preventative care they need. With the unfortunate closure of Beth Israel Mount Sinai Hospital squeezing our district’s health care system, we need someone with Ronnie’s experience on the City Council to be an advocate for New Yorkers, because it is literally a matter of life and death."

Endorsements

2017

Cho received endorsements from the following in 2017:

• Run for Something
• Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
• Former senior advisor to President Barack Obama David Axelrod
• New York Assemblyman Ron Kim

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Ronnie Cho New York City Council. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Ronnie Cho - Google News

See also

New York, New York	New York	Municipal government	Other local coverage

External links

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