중앙일보 특별 기고 : 존 이 LA시의원

"한인들 할 수 있다" 보여준 승리

LA시의회 12지구 보궐선거 결선투표에서 당선된 존 이(49)가 지난달 30일 시청에서 취임식을 갖고 공식 업무에 돌입했다. 이 의원은 5일 중앙일보에 특별 기고문을 보내와 자신의 향후 시정 구상을 밝혔다. 한글 요약본과 영문 원본을 소개한다.

LA시의회 12지구 시의원 임기를 시작하며 우선 모든 분, 특히 봉사할 기회를 주신 한인 커뮤니티에 고마움을 표시하고 싶습니다. 자원봉사로 제 캠페인에 쏟아주신 시간에 감사드립니다.

기나긴 유세기간 동안 노력을 이어가게 해준 굳건한 지원과 열정에도 고맙다는 말씀을 전합니다. 그리고 무엇보다 LA시의회 선출직 대표로 봉사할 수 있도록 저를 믿어주신데 대해 감사드리는 바입니다.

약 1년 전 전임 미치 잉글랜더 시의원이 사임을 발표했을 때 저는 곧바로 출마에 대해 심사숙고하기 시작했습니다. 저는 12지구에서 40년 동안 살았습니다.

이곳은 저를 키워준 곳입니다. 성인이 된 후 인생 전부를 바쳐 봉사해 왔고 앞으로도 기여하고 싶은 지역입니다. 궁극적으로 지인들과 커뮤니티 지도자들로부터 출마하라는 격려전화와 문자 메시지·이메일을 수백 통 받았습니다.

선거전이 개시됐을 때 공석이 된 자리를 두고 15명이 경쟁했습니다. 6월 예비선거에서 저는 운 좋게 상위 2위내에 들었고 결선을 위한 싸움을 시작했습니다.

그 과정 내내 12지구 한인 커뮤니티의 성원이 승리를 도왔습니다. 결선투표는 1000여 표 차이의 접전이었습니다. 분명히 말씀드리지만, 한인 여러분의 전폭적인 지지가 승리를 가능케 했습니다. 나이를 불문하고 커뮤니티 개개인이 모든 과정마다 시간·자금·의지를 보내주었습니다. 커뮤니티가 미래를 위해 단결할 때 어떤 일이 벌어지는지 저희들의 승리가 증명했습니다.

저는 공공안전과 일자리 창출을 위한 비즈니스 지원·노숙자 문제 해결에 대한 새로운 접근 방식을 공약으로 내세웠습니다.

이같은 메시지는 LA의 동료 한인들과 12지구 유권자들에게 반향을 일으켰습니다. 이것이 제가 지역구 한인뿐 아니라 LA전체의 관심사를 듣는 시의원이 되겠다는 이유입니다. 사업이 번창하고 학교가 학생들에게 양질 교육을 제공해야 우리 모두가 밝은 미래를 즐길 수 있습니다.

경찰·소방공무원이 적재적소에 배치되고 필요한 장비를 갖췄을 때 자기 지역에서 안전하다고 느끼게 됩니다. 이와 같은 문제에 헌신함으로써 제 지역구를 넘어 한인들과 LA 모든 주민들이 12지구의 승리를 실감할 수 있도록 노력하겠습니다.

어렸을 때부터 가족·지역사회 모두에게 사업이 중요하다는 점을 잘 알고 있습니다. 50~60년대 미국으로 이주해온 제 부모님은 한인타운에 작은 가게를 열었습니다. 이 회사는 형님과 저에게 아메리칸 드림 가능성을 부여했습니다. 시의회 규정이 일자리 창출에 걸림돌이 되지 않고 소규모 비즈니스가 번창하도록 상식적인 목소리를 내겠습니다.

LA는 현재 수많은 난제에 봉착해 있습니다. 그렇지만 우리의 12지구는 가장 안전하고 관리가 잘된, 뭔가 특별한 요소를 지닌 곳입니다.

미래에 어떤 도전이 닥치더라도 적극 참여함으로써 미래를 우리 손으로 만들 수 있습니다. 이 점이 바로 제가 출마한 이유입니다. 이웃을 위해 더 나은 미래를 건설하는 것을 보여주기 위함이었습니다.

여러분은 저의 승리가 가능하도록 캠페인을 도우면서 우리가 해낼 수 있다는 것을 증명했습니다. 마지막으로 우리 모두 지역사회를 위해 어떤 성과를 거둘 수 있는지를 LA 전역에 보여주는데 동참해 주시기 바랍니다.

정리=봉화식 기자 [e-mail]


A Victory for Community
by John S. Lee
Los Angeles City Councilmember, 12th District

As I begin my term as Councilmember for the 12th District of the City of Los Angeles, I must first express my gratitude to everyone, particularly those in our city’s Korean community, for giving me the opportunity to serve. Thank you for the time you gave to my campaign as volunteers. Thank you for your unwavering support and enthusiasm which sustained our efforts throughout the long campaign. And, most of all, thank you for the trust you have placed in me to serve as an elected representative on the Los Angeles City Council.

When Councilmember Englander announced he would be leaving office almost a year ago, I immediately began to consider a run. I have lived in Council District 12 for forty years. This is the community that raised me. This is the community I have served my entire adult life and I wanted to continue to serve, not only CD12, but the City of Los Angeles. In the end however, it was receiving hundreds of phone calls, text messages, and emails from friends and community leaders encouraging me to run that convinced me we could do this.

When the race began there were fifteen candidates vying for the seat. After the June primary, I was fortunate enough to be one of the top two contenders and the fight for the general election began. Throughout the process, it was the support from the Korean community of CD12 and beyond that fueled our victory. It was a close election, decided by little more than 1000 votes. I can say with certainty that it was the incredible support of the Korean community in CD12 and beyond that made our victory possible. Every step of the way, so many members of our community, young and old, gave their time, money, and passion to this campaign. Our victory was an example of what happens when a community comes together to take control of its future.

I ran on a platform of public safety, supporting businesses to create good jobs, and a new approach to fixing the homelessness crisis in our city. This message resonated with CD12 voters and fellow Koreans across Los Angeles. That is why I plan on being a Councilmember who not only listens to the concerns of Koreans in my district but all over Los Angeles. That’s because when businesses thrive and schools provide our children a good education, everyone can enjoy a brighter future. When our police and fire departments are properly staffed and equipped, everyone can feel safe and secure in their communities. By focusing on these issues, I will work to ensure that our victory in Council District 12 is felt by Koreans and all Los Angeles residents well beyond the borders of the district I serve.

Since I was a young child, I’ve known the importance of businesses to a community and to individual families. When my father moved to the United States in the 1950’s and my mother followed in the 1960’s, they opened a small business in Koreatown. This enterprise allowed my brother and me to have every opportunity growing up and to live the American dream. Because of this experience, I understand that a few misguided city fees can mean the difference between a profitable business and a failing business; and that can mean the difference in whether or not a family can afford a home and provide for its children. On Council, I will be the voice of common sense for businesses so that City regulations are not an impediment to creating jobs and allowing small businesses to thrive.

Ensuring public safety is also a priority for me. Prior to this election, I was privileged to work for both of the Councilmembers who preceded me as the elected representative of the 12th Council District. Greig Smith, whom I served as Chief Legislative Deputy, and Mitchell Englander, for whom I served as Chief of Staff, both emphasized public safety within CD12. The result is that the 12th Council District is the safest within the City of Los Angeles with the lowest crime rates. I intend to continue this emphasis because the safety of a neighborhood comes first in ensuring that residents can feel secure in their homes and on their streets.

I will continue my work to ensure that children have opportunities beyond the classroom to grow and develop skills that lead to a successful life. One of the projects I’m proudest of in my career is the fundraising and programming I developed for the Devonshire Police Activities League Supporters (PALS) Youth Program. For almost twenty years, PALS has been an important community center where at-risk youth work with police officers, learn leadership skills, and participate in programs that strengthen our community.

While campaigning, I heard countless personal stories of young people whose lives were transformed by the PALS program. These are children at risk of dropping out of school or joining a gang. Instead, they were attending colleges and signing up to join the police academy and serve our City. Hearing these stories reaffirmed for me the reasons I ran for office.

I will also continue to partner with community associations and build programs that encourage families and neighbors to engage in the project of improving our community. Organizations like the North Valley YMCA, the Chatsworth Historical Society, Kiwanis, the Granada Hills Woman’s Club, local school Parent-Teacher Associations, and churches big and small represent the mortar that binds a strong community together. I know from experience that when a council office is engaged in partnerships with organizations such as these the influence and impact of both are that much greater. As Councilmember, I will ensure that any organization or group of individuals looking to improve their street, their local park, their neighborhood, or their community will find a strong and willing partner in my office.

And we cannot discuss how we are going to improve life for residents of our city without having a strategy to address -- and reverse -- L.A.’s crisis of homelessness. Homelessness in Los Angeles has become a humanitarian disaster that threatens the public health and safety of everyone, not just those leaving on the street. While there is no easy solution, we cannot be afraid to take action.
Even before homelessness was as widespread as it is now, I was involved in projects to prevent individuals and families from ending up on the street. I helped find a location and fundraise for the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission long before the City was talking about “bridge home shelters” or “supportive housing.” Since opening its doors in 2014, the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission has become a model of how to successfully help families at high-risk of falling into homelessness. By providing stability and safety to families, they ensure that children stay in school and parents stay on track to finding a job and, ultimately, a path to self-sufficiency. In the five years it has been open, thousands of individuals have come through the Rescue Mission to find permanent housing while remaining a neighbor in good standing to the surrounding community.

Housing alone is not the answer to the homelessness crisis. Many individuals currently living on the streets have issues of drug addiction and have been out of the labor market for extended periods of time. In these cases, people need more than housing. They need an intervention that deals with underlying addictions and illnesses and helps them develop skills to support themselves or else they will likely end up back on the street. That is why I believe in programs that don’t just provide a service but engage individuals experiencing homelessness in a rewarding project that improves their lives. While I was Chief of Staff to Councilmember Englander, our office began a program called Clean Streets, Clean Starts. This enlisted individuals living on the street to participate in community clean ups. As part of their participation, they received food vouchers, job training, and support in achieving sobriety. This program was so successful that it has grown citywide. It results not only in cleaner streets, but individuals who take pride in keeping neighborhoods clean.

L.A. faces many difficult issues right now. However, we have something special in CD 12 that has helped us become the safest, most well-kept district in the City. We care about community. We call when there is an issue that needs to be fixed. We volunteer in greater numbers than any other area of the City to improve our streets, libraries, and parks and to assist police and firefighters. By involving ourselves, we take control of our future no matter what the challenge.

Throughout my campaign, I saw the same sense of neighborhood pride as I met with fellow members of our city’s Korean community across Los Angeles. Through churches and various neighborhood and community associations, we lift up our City, not because it is a job, but because the community we call home is important.

That is why I ran for office. To show that building a better future for our neighborhoods begins with people getting involved. You have already proven this with your help to my campaign making my victory possible. Now, I hope will join me as we work to show the rest of Los Angeles what we can achieve when we come together as a community.