Ron Kim (politician)

Early life and education

Kim comes from a Korean American family that moved to Queens when he was 7. He is the only child of Seo Jun Kim and Sun Hee Kim. Raised in Flushing, Kim graduated from the Riverdale Country Day School in 1997, and was captain of the football and track teams. He later earned his Bachelor of Arts from Hamilton College, where he continued his football career on the varsity team; he received his Masters in Public Administration from Baruch College of the City University of New York as part of the National Urban Fellows Program.

Career

Kim began his career in public service in then-Councilmember John C. Liu’s office, focusing on quality-of-life issues in the Flushing community. He moved on to become an aide to then-State Assemblyman Mark Weprin. Following his work in Assemblyman Weprin’s office, Kim joined the New York State Department of Buildings, followed by the Department of Small Business Services. In 2004, Kim was accepted into the National Urban Fellows Program, where he was placed in a fellowship advising the Chief Education Office of the Chicago Public Schools, simultaneously earning his Master’s in Public Administration from CUNY-Baruch College.

In 2006, Kim joined the staff of New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn as a Policy Analyst where he focused on legislative issues relating to transportation, infrastructure, and economic development.

From 2007 through 2010, Kim served as a Regional Director for Government and Community Affairs in the administrations of Governors Eliot Spitzer and David A. Paterson, where he worked with numerous state agencies, elected officials, and community organizations.

After leaving his position at the Governor’s office, Kim worked at the lobbying firm, the Parkside Group where he advocated on behalf of children with special needs, small business, community organizations, and vulnerable New Yorkers.

In June 2012, Kim announced that he would seek the State Assembly seat being vacated by Grace Meng, who was running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Kim won the five-way Democratic primary on September 13, and went on to defeat Republican Philip Gim in the general election, 68%-32%.

State Assembly

In his first month in office, Kim helped pass legislation A.3354 which implemented a tax relief for New York City homeowners; the bill is projected to encourage housing development.

Kim has supported bills related to education issues and services for seniors. He is also an active supporter of immigration issues and is a sponsor of the DREAM Act on the state level as well as the prime sponsor on a bill to make Lunar New Year an allowable school holiday, which eventually took place. Kim has sponsored legislation inspired by events that happen in his district; in January 2013, he became a proponent of the Taxi Drivers Protection Act following a robbery and assault that occurred in Brooklyn.

In the summer of 2015, following an investigative report by the New York Times, Kim helped to draft a measure to improve the conditions in the nail salon industry. The law Kim passed created a trainee nail specialist program and modified the Secretary of State’s enforcement of licensing requirements. Governor Andrew Cuomo called a state of emergency and unilaterally implemented other requirements, such as wage bonds for nail salons, that were not part of the new law. The New York Times reported In November 2015, Kim changed positions and began calling for reform of the law he had previously helped to design following $60,000 in contributions to his campaign from nail salon owners.

Subsequently, in December 2015, the New York Times made a correction, stating that the article "included incorrect information about some political donations to Mr. Kim from the industry." The New York Times stated that its source for the original figure of $60,000 in contributions, president of Korean American Nail Salon Association Sangho Lee, had revised his information to state that Kim had received only $25,000 from the organization, $5,000 of which he had returned.

Kim vigorously disputed the allegation that he had changed his stance on the law, and denied that his position was influenced by donations, including in a letter to the Times. Reason and Crain's New York Business each published stories examining the record and refuting the allegation that Kim had changed his position. Reason reported Kim's assertion that the contributions reported by the Times included some from prior contributors not affiliated with the nail salon industry. Crain's concluded that reported contributions were a small fraction of Kim's aggregate fundraising.

Kim has been an advocate for New York's small business community throughout his tenure in the State Legislature. He has worked with state legislators to pass a bill expanding access to small loans and seed funding for micro-businesses, and sought to create a fund in the 2017 State Budget to help small businesses in New York struggling to comply with increasingly burdensome regulations. He often cites his own experiences growing up, and watching the challenges and difficulties faced by his parents as mom-and-pop store owners, as having shaped his views and position as a lawmaker.

Kim currently sits on the Health Committee; Education Committee; the Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee; Governmental Operations Committee; Housing Committee; and Social Services Committee. He also belongs to the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Caucus.

Personal life

Kim married his wife, Alison Tan, in 2012 and the couple currently reside in Flushing, Queens.

Crime Fighting

On September 17, 2015, Kim tackled an alleged purse-snatcher, Daniel Fish, to the ground while walking to his office. He broke his own glasses as he took down the 25-year old, and held the suspect until police arrived to arrest him.