GARDEN GROVE : First Asian-American Files for City Council

South Korea native Ho Young Chung has become the first Asian-American ever to run here for the City Council.

At a press conference Monday announcing his candidacy, Chung, 58, said that a key plank in his campaign will be the establishment of an international trade and cultural center to bring different groups together.

He said some voters may regard him as an outsider, but he believes that mainstream residents will cast their vote on issues.

“If they buy my vision, they’ll vote for me,” he said.

Chung is on the board of directors of the Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce, past president of the Korean American Assn. of Orange County, a member of the Orange County Human Relations Commission and a member of the city’s Redevelopment Project Area.

He received a bachelor’s degree in English at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in South Korea, a master’s degree in political science at Korean University and a master’s degree in business administration at James Madison University in Virginia.

Meanwhile, in late filings Wednesday, Councilman Mark Leyes filed paperwork to run for mayor. He will face two other incumbent councilmen--Frank Kessler and J. Tilman Williams. Al Snook is also running for mayor.

Other council candidates include Martha Janet Anderson-Monroe, Elizabeth Charron and Diane Donovan, the wife of outgoing mayor W.E. (Walt) Donovan. Also running are Walter C. Wood Jr., Bruce Broadwater, Bart Blakesley, Tony Ingegneri, Milton Krieger, Tayfun Amur, David Baugh and Jose Moreno.