Choi being sued by local PBA
Organization alleges 'abuse of office' and 'intimidation and harassing' of union leaders
BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer
Even though Jun Choi lost his bid for re-election as Edison mayor last week, he still apparently has plenty on his plate.

An attorney for Edison Police BenevolentAssociation Local 75 filed a formal notice of intent to sue the mayor for "abuse of office" and for "intimidating and harassing" union leaders as retribution.

Choi, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in last week's primary, alleged that PBA President Michael Schwarz and union delegate Keith Hahn engaged in "illegal political activities" in funneling $100,000 from its members for political donations

The Edison PBA endorsed Choi's opponent, Antonia Ricigliano, in the June 2 primary.

"We are definitely pursuing legal action at this point," Schwarz said. "The damage has already been done. What he did is very defamatory to not only me, but our entire organization."

"What we're being sued for is ridiculous," Schwarz said. "The only reason that we are now involved in political contributions is because of the mayor's attack on us as an organization."

For many years, the PBA and its hierarchy have been critical of the Choi administration and the hiring practices and promotion policies, the mishandling of contract negotiations, and unfair treatment of rank-andfile officers, according to a press release sent out by the PBA.

David DeFillippo, an attorney who represents the PBA, said that his client is taking this matter "very seriously" and that numerous grievances have been filed over the years under Choi.

"He has made baseless accusations, and this is really ridiculous," DeFillippo said. "To say that it has been a stormy relationship between his administration and the Edison PBA is an understatement. I represent many area PBAs, and we can certainly say that Edison is one of my busiest clients."

Schwarz is very upset, especially because he feels that Choi tried to use this matter as a campaign tool.

"A message has to be sent that you can't use this to further your own cause," Schwarz said. "It's not right and it's not fair."

DeFillippo said now that Choi's reign as mayor is coming to an end, he is looking forward to things being done differently.

"I would hope that with a new mayor coming in, there will be a return to normalcy and reasonability," DeFillippo said.

When responding to the charges, Choi said the PBA doesn't want to be held accountable for certain things.

"It's a frivolous lawsuit and it's bogus," Choi said. "I have never intimidated any officers on the Edison police force. They really just make up stuff as they go along."

Editor's note: Further details about the lawsuit were unavailable at the time the Sentinel went to press Monday night.