{"id":120,"date":"2023-11-15T22:31:20","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T22:31:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/table-of-success.local\/?p=120"},"modified":"2023-12-18T19:03:38","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T19:03:38","slug":"peter-koo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tableofsuccess.mysites.io\/peter-koo\/","title":{"rendered":"Peter Koo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading alignwide has-large-font-size\">Eric Adams gave City Councilmembers who supported him in the mayoral primary plum City Hall positions, perhaps none more ill-defined than whatever Koo is doing as a highly paid adviser.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator alignwide has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignwide is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Formerly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Pharmacy owner<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>President, Flushing Chinese Business Association &nbsp; &nbsp; <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>New York City Councilmember<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Currently<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>Senior adviser to Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Philip Banks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p>During the mayoral campaign in 2021, COVID restrictions mostly limited the ability of campaigns to hold indoor fundraisers during the cold winter months. But then-New York City Councilmember Peter Koo found a loophole to help out his friend Eric Adams. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/01\/11\/nyregion\/mayor-race-nyc.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">He held a fundraiser in Great Neck, Long Island<\/a>, where indoor dining was allowed. In an invitation to the fundraiser, Koo texted potential donors that Adams wouldn&#8217;t mess with the much-criticized exam that determines who gets into the City&#8217;s specialized high schools, and that Koo would find himself with a job in the administration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8216;If elected, he said he will appoint me as one of the deputy mayors,&#8221; the text message said, according to reporting by the New York Times. But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/01\/11\/nyregion\/mayor-race-nyc.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">when approached by the Times<\/a> about the message, Koo said he was all bluster.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8221;I am at retirement age,&#8221; he told the Times. &#8220;I don&#8217;t need a job. I said that just to impress on my friends, do this, help support a mayor.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;&#8216;That is categorically false,&#8221; said Adams&#8217;s campaign spokesperson <a href=\"https:\/\/tableofsuccess.hellgatenyc.com\/evan-thies\/\">Evan Thies<\/a> about the job offer.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But this isn\u2019t the first time fundraising for Eric Adams seemed to translate into<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecity.nyc\/2023\/11\/15\/winnie-greco-adams-liaison-big-money-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> a nice job<\/a> in the Adams administration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A year later, Koo found himself in City Hall, as a senior adviser to Deputy Mayor of Public Safety <a href=\"https:\/\/tableofsuccess.hellgatenyc.com\/philip-banks-iii\/\">Philip Banks III<\/a>, whose own position is deeply nebulous.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"sign-up has-yellow-background-color p-2 p-lg-4 border-radius drop-shadow\">\n    <a class=\"d-block mb-2\" href=\"https:\/\/hellgatenyc.com\" target=\"_blank\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hell-gate-logo\" src=\"http:\/\/tableofsuccess.mysites.io\/wp-content\/themes\/pnp-table-of-success\/assets\/images\/hell-gate-logo.png\">\n    <\/a>\n    <p class=\"mb-2\"><strong>If you like what you&#8217;re reading, <a class=\"text-decoration-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/hellgatenyc.com\/products\" target=\"_blank\" >become a subscriber<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n    <p class=\"mb-1\"><strong>Sign up for Inbox Hell, our biweekly free newsletter:<\/strong><\/p>\n    <form name=\"contact\" method=\"POST\" data-netlify=\"true\" class=\"d-flex flex-column flex-lg-row flex-wrap align-items-lg-end\">\n        <label for=\"fname\" class=\"sr-only\">First Name:<\/label><input class=\"mt-1 mr-1 mb-lg-0\" type=\"text\" name=\"fname\" placeholder=\"First Name\" \/><\/p>\n        <label for=\"lname\" class=\"sr-only\">Last Name:<\/label><input class=\"mt-1 mr-1 mb-lg-0\" type=\"text\" name=\"lname\" placeholder=\"Last Name\" \/>\n        <label for=\"email\" class=\"sr-only\">Email:<\/label><input class=\"mt-1 mr-1 mb-lg-0\" type=\"text\" name=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email\" \/>\n        <button class=\"w-fit-content mt-2\" type=\"submit\">Sign up<\/button>\n    <\/form>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p>Much like his friend Eric Adams, the Flushing-based Koo was a Republican for a stretch of his political life. Koo first appeared on the scene in the early 2000s, supporting a booth for police officers to sit in outside the Flushing branch of the Queens Public Library. He then spent years trying to get into elected office, mostly using his own money for campaigns. When Koo ran for State Senate in 2008, he was briefly <a href=\"https:\/\/qns.com\/2008\/08\/judge-throws-peter-koo-off-state-senate-ballot-over-challenge-to-his-residency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">kicked off the ballot after a judge ruled<\/a> that he lived in Port Washington, Long Island, and not Flushing. A higher court later ruled that Koo did, in fact, have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nydailynews.com\/2008\/08\/21\/appeals-court-puts-republican-peter-koo-gets-back-on-state-senate-ballot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">his primary residence at a condo in Queens,<\/a> even though he split his time in Long Island, and he was restored to the ballot. (That perhaps explains all the friends he could text in Long Island, however.)&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Koo was crushed in that election, but pulled off a stunning upset in 2009 for a Queens City Council seat, winning John Liu&#8217;s seat as a Republican in the race, and spending almost <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nydailynews.com\/2009\/12\/01\/when-it-comes-to-city-council-politics-the-biggest-spenders-dont-always-win\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">half a million dollars of his own money on his campaign<\/a>. Once in office, Koo followed a fairly conservative tack for a councilmember\u2014opposing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gothamgazette.com\/criminal-justice\/4529-city-council-overrides-bloombergs-nypd-bills-veto\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reforms to stop-and-frisk<\/a>, using money to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nydailynews.com\/2017\/07\/15\/queens-councilman-slammed-for-giving-24000-in-taxpayer-money-to-anti-abortion-crisis-pregnancy-center\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fund crisis pregnancy centers<\/a>, and ultimately <a href=\"https:\/\/qns.com\/2018\/10\/koo-bill-restricting-flushing-street-vendors-passes-city-council\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">trying to have all street vending banned<\/a> from downtown Flushing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But like Adams, Koo ultimately saw limited utility in his party affiliation as a Republican, no matter his actual politics. In 2012, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/states\/new-york\/city-hall\/story\/2012\/01\/councilman-peter-koo-to-switch-sides-citing-republican-infighting-002217\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced he would be a Democrat<\/a>, due to infighting among the few Republican members in City Council.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While it wasn&#8217;t the deputy mayor position he had been envisioning in his text messages, Koo has fit right in with the Adams administration, basically making little news while in office while <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/05\/07\/mayor-adams-pays-off-political-debt-with-10-hires-for-top-nyc-posts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pulling a $201,000 annual salary<\/a>. Alongside Adams administration officials like <a href=\"https:\/\/tableofsuccess.hellgatenyc.com\/wade-li\/\">Winnie Greco<\/a>, much of Koo&#8217;s job appears to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldjournal.com\/wj\/story\/121390\/7024563\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attending meetings with Asian American community groups<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldjournal.com\/wj\/story\/121382\/7148036\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">on crime and public safety and repping the administration at events as varied as a <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldjournal.com\/wj\/story\/121390\/7595784?from=wj_referralnews&amp;zh-cn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tree lighting in Flushing, Queens<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldjournal.com\/wj\/story\/121390\/7105052\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gatherings of Chinese American business leaders<\/a> meant to strengthen &#8220;Sino-U.S. Friendship.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>City Hall did not respond to a request for comment about what Peter Koo does. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At a June town hall in Flushing, Adams said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nyc.gov\/office-of-the-mayor\/news\/416-23\/transcript-mayor-adams-hosts--talk-eric--community-conversation-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">that he often walks the streets of Flushing with Koo<\/a>, cracking down on street vendors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m always in this area hanging out with Peter Koo,&#8221; Adams told residents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you actually see them together, or see Peter Koo, the senior adviser to the deputy mayor of public safety, doing much of anything, please let us know. (A tipster tells us <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mayorscau\/status\/1735413096573788511?s=46&amp;t=L-yfLivPnMsGHwvY6UEOGg\">he might have moved on to the NYPD&#8217;s Community Affairs Unit<\/a>?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator alignwide has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Still hungry?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/01\/11\/nyregion\/mayor-race-nyc.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Superheroes and an Indoor Fund-Raiser: 5 Takeaways From the Mayor\u2019s Race<\/a> | New York Times<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/states\/new-york\/city-hall\/story\/2012\/01\/councilman-peter-koo-to-switch-sides-citing-republican-infighting-002217\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Councilman Peter Koo to switch sides, citing Republican infighting <\/a>| Politico New York<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nydailynews.com\/2017\/07\/15\/queens-councilman-slammed-for-giving-24000-in-taxpayer-money-to-anti-abortion-crisis-pregnancy-center\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Queens Councilman slammed for giving $24,000 in taxpayer money to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center<\/a> | New York Daily News<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Last updated: 12\/18\/2023<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senior advisor to the Deputy Mayor of Public Safety. What does that even mean, man?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":436,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Peter Koo - Table of Success<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tableofsuccess.mysites.io\/peter-koo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Peter Koo - Table of Success\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Senior advisor to the Deputy Mayor of Public Safety. 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