Wilton Candidate Profile: Jung Soo Kim For Board of Finance

WILTON, CT — The 2019 municipal election is heating up in Wilton and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Wilton Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Jung Soo Kim, 49, is running for a seat on the Board of Finance as a Democrat. She received a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science degree from the University of Chicago and a Master of Science from Fairfield University.

Kim and her husband Gene Sato live in Wilton with their three children, ages 16, 13 and 12. The family moved to town in 2016.

The single most pressing issue facing our town/district is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Wilton is a wonderful town. It has real challenges, such as transportation, that can not be resolved solely by the town. With that in mind, Wilton needs to define and work towards a vision of the town that we can achieve.

To define these goals I will listen to more voices within our community and include their concerns. I will advocate fiscally responsible investing in amenities, services, institutions and communications for long term benefits and growth. I will reach out to different groups, individuals, and business stakeholders to create collaborations to achieve our goals.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am a mother whose children are currently enrolled in the public school system. This has afforded numerous opportunities to volunteer in our schools and become familiar with the needs of our educators and children.

I have helped care for my in-laws who were Wiltonians until their passing. I understand the many challenges to older residents who would like to stay in their Wilton homes.

At work, I am a product developer. As such, I receive enhancement requests from clients and different internal business units. My job is to investigate interest in and feasibility of requests, to develop long term functionalities, and invest limited resources for long and short term goals.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

Wilton's Town Charter clearly defines the scope of the Board of Finance. In 2018, a survey of Wilton Taxpayers was conducted and presented to the Board of Finance. The general satisfaction with the budget for the Board of Education and wish for investing in economic development were roundly ignored.

I firmly believe that broader representation of voices from different demographic groups in our town will create better outcomes for more stakeholders.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

After I had my second child, I took up running. The first race I signed up for was the Chicago Marathon. I had never run before, but I found a sensible running plan and received ample support from my family, friends and the local community. I worked steadfastly to achieve this goal and found it a profoundly satisfying experience.

Recently, I decided to go back to work and change my career from hospitality to technology. I researched potential job opportunities, different master's programs, planned a graduation date to coincide with my youngest child's promotion to middle school. I participated in the student government and persuaded the administration to reinstate health insurance for domestic graduate students as well as offer free access to the on-campus fitness center. I won the Porter Scholarship for academic achievement two years in a row and the Graduate Student Service Award for Student Life while caring for my family and volunteering when I could at the schools and the Wilton Library teaching a week long programming camp.

I am comfortable with different types of financial reports and data. As a restaurant manager, I was responsible for the profit and loss reports for my areas of the budget. As an individual who manages her own financial investments, I think researching statistics for publicly traded equities is fun.

I am comfortable with numbers. I collaborate well with others. I am truly honored to have this opportunity to represent others. I have the interest and energy to do this work.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

My family and I have built a wonderful life in Wilton. I believe in the quality of the schools. I enjoy many amenities in town such as the Y, Town Forest, and Wilton Library with the communal jigsaw puzzle table. I believe that Wilton has enough for the budgets we need, but not a penny to waste.

I am honored to be entrusted with people's stories and advocate for them when possible.

I also love to laugh, in particular, at Dad jokes and puns.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

"Think for yourself and stand up for what's right." My father told me this when I was a teenager. It reminds me to think critically and choose my actions to be the woman I hope to be.