After tumultuous year, mayor still optimistic BY JAY BODAS Staff Writer Even if his first year in office has left him fatigued, Edison Mayor Jun Choi isn’t showing any signs of it. “It’s been a great, exciting period, where we have introduced more ordinances than in any single year in over 15 years,” Choi said, flashing a smile early into his morning last Wednesday. “We have taken on many significant issues of policy. I like a good challenge, and most nights I go to sleep exhausted.” Even his detractors would not be able to deny that this is a man who seems to really enjoy his work. Choi began last Wednesday with an 8 a.m. meeting at the Plaza Diner across the street from the municipal complex, discussing local issues with a population studies researcher from a local university. His morning had actually begun an hour and a half earlier, rising at 6:30 a.m. to phone calls, some reading and a quick check of the day’s top news stories. The previous night, Choi said he had gone to bed at 1 a.m., referring to the lateness of the hour as “not unusual” — between five and six hours of sleep a night is his norm. After an hour of discussion at the diner, Choi drove over to Herbert Hoover Middle School for the school’s annual holiday orchestra concert — he does not keep a driver, unlike his predecessor. By the time he left at 10:15 a.m. to return to his office—his cell phone had recorded five voice mail messages over the previous two hours. Back at the municipal complex, his office looks lived in and worked in. Papers are strewn all over his desk, with other sheets organized in a few neat piles on the floor. Choi’s time in the office last Wednesday morning until lunch was spent divided between phone calls, e-mail, and discussions with his staff. His formal workday included six meetings — one with a freeholder — and three public appearances. While underscoring the successes, Choi admits to having made mistakes in his first year in office. “Sure, I’ve made mistakes,” he said. “Edison is a large, complex town, and there is a lot to know. For example, I am not sure if I would call it a mistake, but I trusted certain people that I thought wanted to genuinely partner with government to do good for the community, but they had an agenda. I trusted too much.” Choi also named the Trikaya matter, in which he had a role in overseeing the company’s selection to provide computer-related services for the township. “On Trikaya, there was a contracting mistake,” Choi said. “Instead of settling for mediocrity, we wanted to go through the complete process, but we made a mistake in the contracting process that we chose.” “At the time, I was the most knowledgeable person in our government on the issues related to the work,” he said. “I am an MIT graduate, with knowledge of computer systems. Some may say I was meddling, but I was not.” With a recent fundraiser that netted over $100,000 for his war chest, speculation has intensified that he is planning a run for higher office. Choi discounted such talk, however. “I plan to remain in office for my entire term, and I have every intention to run for re-election if the people want me to run again,” he said. With such a busy schedule, one wonders whether he has any personal life beyond Edison — the 35-year-old Choi is unmarried with no children and calls his position a “24-7 job.” “I am sometimes busier on weekends than I am during the week,” he said. “My downtime has been limited to hanging out with family and friends.” When asked what was the last movie he saw, he named the James Bond flick “Casino Royale.” “It was good, though different,” Choi said. “James Bond was a little more crude and edgier than normal.” After a pause, he offered another thought. “Plus, I would say that he seemed a bit jaded by things.”