Peter Koo

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title: "Peter Koo" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1952-births", "21st-century-new-york-(state)-politicians", "american-businesspeople-in-retailing", "american-politicians-of-chinese-descent", "asian-american-new-york-city-council-members", "asian-american-people-in-new-york-(state)-politics", "american-businesspeople-in-the-pharmaceutical-industry", "chinese-emigrants-to-the-united-states", "living-people", "businesspeople-from-new-york-(state)", "new-york-(state)-democrats", "new-york-(state)-republicans", "new-york-city-council-members", "politicians-from-queens,-new-york", "pharmacists-from-new-york-city", "21st-century-american-pharmacists", "politicians-from-shanghai", "university-of-new-mexico-alumni"] description: "American politician" topic_path: "politics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Koo" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American politician ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	Peter Koo
native_name	顧雅明
native_name_lang	zh-hant
image	PeterKoo.jpg
caption	Koo in 2008
office	Member of the New York City Council
from the 20th district
term_start	January 1, 2010
term_end	December 31, 2021
predecessor	John Liu
successor	Sandra Ung
birth_date
birth_place	Shanghai, China
party	Republican (Prior to 2012)
Democratic (Since 2012)
spouse	Bernadette Ching Koo
children	2
alma_mater	New Mexico College of Pharmacy
website	Official website
::

|name = Peter Koo |native_name = 顧雅明 |native_name_lang = zh-hant |image = PeterKoo.jpg |imagesize = |caption = Koo in 2008 |office = Member of the New York City Council from the 20th district |term_start = January 1, 2010 |term_end = December 31, 2021 |predecessor = John Liu |successor = Sandra Ung |birth_date = |birth_place = Shanghai, China |death_date = |death_place = |party = Republican (Prior to 2012) Democratic (Since 2012) |spouse = Bernadette Ching Koo |children = 2 |alma_mater = New Mexico College of Pharmacy |website = Official website |religion = |t=顧雅明 |s=顾雅明 |p=Gù Yǎmíng |j=gu3 ngaa5 ming4 Peter Ah-Ming Koo (born September 5, 1952) is a Chinese American politician who represented the 20th district of the New York City Council from 2010 to 2021. He is a Democrat. The district includes portions of Bayside, College Point, Flushing, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Fresh Meadows and Whitestone in Queens.

Koo and Manhattan Council member Margaret Chin comprise the Asian-American delegation of the council.

Life and career

Koo is a Chinese American born in Shanghai in 1952. Prior to immigrating to the United States in 1971, he lived in the former British Hong Kong. Graduating from the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy in 1975 where he paid his way through by working minimum wage jobs at Kentucky Fried Chicken and Dunkin' Donuts, Koo is a pharmacist who developed a five-store chain of pharmacies called Starside Drugs Pharmacy.

He has been a member of Queens Community Board 7. Previously, he unsuccessfully challenged local state senator Toby Ann Stavisky in 2008. He has been called the "Mayor" of Flushing.

In January 2012, Koo changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democratic.

In 2018, Koo proposed legislation before being term limited out of The New York City Council to ban smoking cigarettes while walking.

New York City Council

Koo was elected to the city council seat on November 3, 2009, defeating Democratic Party nominee Yen Chou, Working Families Party nominee S.J. Jung, and Green Party nominee Evergreen Chou. He assumed the position that was held by John Liu, the New York City Comptroller. He was term limited out of office at the end of 2021. ::data[format=table] | Election history | Location | Year | Election | Results | NY Senate District 16 | NYC Council District 20 | NYC Council District 20 | NYC Council District 20 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 2008 | |General | √ Toby Ann Stavisky (D) 69.44% Peter Koo (R) 30.56% | | | | | | | | 2009 | |General | √ Peter Koo (R) 49.05% Yen S. Chou (D) 45.24% S.J. Jung (Working Families) 4.06% Evergreen Chou (Green) 1.64% | | | | | | | | 2013 | |General | √ Peter Koo (D) 79.67% Martha Flores-Vazqeuz (Jobs & Education) 10.38% Sunny Hahn (Reform) 6.40% Evergreen Chou (Green) 3.38% | | | | | | | | 2017 | |Primary | √ Peter Koo 57.9% Alison Tan 41.67% | | | | | | | ::

Koo serves on the following New York City Council committees:

• Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing
• Economic Development
• Land Use
  • Landmarks, Public Siting, and Maritime Uses (subcommittee of Land Use Committee)
• Parks and Recreation
• Technology (He serves as chair of this committee.)
• Transportation

Caucuses

• Black, Latino/a, and Asian Caucus

Personal life

Peter has been married for 26 years and has two children, a boy and a girl.

References

References

1. "Our Campaigns – Candidate – Peter Koo".
2. Victor G. Mimoni. (March 12, 2008). "Community activist Peter Koo challenges Stavisky". The Queens Courier.
3. Liz Rhoades. (October 29, 2009). "Can Republican Koo beat Flushing Dem?". [[Queens Chronicle]].
4. (January 23, 2012). "Queens City Councilman Peter Koo Defects to Democrats". DNAinfo.
5. Colangelo, Lisa L.. (January 23, 2012). "Queens Councilman Peter Koo flips from Republican to Democrat". Daily News.
6. https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/smoking-and-walking-ban-new-york-city-councilman-peter-koo/
7. Connor Adams Sheets. (November 4, 2009). "Republican Peter Koo defeats Chou in Flushing Council race". Boro Politics.
8. "New York Council".
9. "New York Council".
10. Monteverdi, Suzanne. (2017-09-13). "Incumbent Peter Koo wins Democratic primary for Flushing's Council District seat – QNS.com".
11. "District 20".

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