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During his four years as mayor of Edison, Jun Choi shared a close relationship with the Jewish community that extended far beyond, as he puts it, a ceremonial menorah lighting each year at the Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County on Oak Tree Road.

Choi, whose term comes to an end Dec. 31 after he lost November's Democratic primary to Mayor-elect Antonia Ricigliano, said he worked on formulating strategies for serving the community along with the JCC, the township's synagogues, the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County, and an Orthodox community that includes Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva, which honored Choi at its annual dinner in February.

Some of Choi's policies drew loud criticism from local Jews, such as parking restrictions near Edison Train Station that worried residents about being able to have visitors over the shiva mourning period or other purposes, and a proposed bike path near Schenkmeyer Park, which residents feared would disrupt Shabbat tranquility.

But with those policies, Choi explained he always had the goal of enhancing Edison's quality-of-life, something he said his administration has certainly accomplished judging by the township's place on recent national rankings like a U.S. News & World Report list of "America's 10 Best Places to Grow Up," and its distinction as the "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in New Jersey two years in a row by BusinessWeek magazine.

"Look, I didn't run for mayor to win a popularity contest, I ran for mayor to make a real difference, fundamentally, in people's lives," Choi said in an interview with The Jewish State at the Edison Municipal Complex. "And so, change was required, change still is required, and any time there is change, there is going to be criticism."

"I think the level of criticism is directly proportional to how much we were getting done to effectuate real change," he said. Now, Edison is nearing the completion of several hundred new parking spaces at the train station, which should ease the situation, Choi said. The bike path, he said, "is consistent with good community planning, that you want to move away from people riding their cars all the time, promoting wellness and healthy lifestyles, and connecting different parts of our town, connecting different parks and green areas of our community."

Rather than differences, Choi emphasized the values he shares with Edison's Jewish community that helped make his relationship with that population a meaningful one.

"I enjoyed the very close friendship with the Jewish American community in Edison and really more regionally throughout the state," Choi said. "I think some of that was related to the shared values, such as a very high emphasis on education quality, on equal opportunity, civil liberties, separation of church and state, but also a focus on good government that serves the public interest first, and not perpetuating, in New Jersey, what seems to be a very close-knit special interest."

"I really appreciate the values of tikkun olam, which is a very similar philosophy to what I have, not just in public service but in life," he said.

Edison's high quality-of-life comes from low crime, good public schools, lots of recreation activities, and "although some people may not believe me," below average property taxes for New Jersey, Choi said. The township has always been a great community for families and young people, he said, but has continually suffered from government that serves narrow interests. The result, Choi said, is that Edison often shies away from long-term planning for community, investing in capital infrastructure like sewer systems and roads, and keeping redevelopment projects up to pace with the economy.

Choi said his administration did its best to change those trends, such as the decision to downsize by over 120 employees, reshaping a school funding formula that brought more state money to Edison, bringing more integrity and fairness to the police department, redeveloping the township's portions of Route 27 and Route 1, and preserving more than 37 acres of open space with a complete energy audit.

"We faced a very difficult economic environment, and we took on very powerful special interests to deliver on the change that we campaigned on," Choi said.

Regarding the string of anti-Semitic incidents in Edison during this High Holiday season, including the painting of swastikas at Congregation Beth-El and the beating of a Jewish man near Rabbi Jacob Joseph Yeshiva, Choi said Edison has generally been a very tolerant community that has adjusted to rapidly growing diversity since the 1980s, but that "constant effort is required to achieve that level of tolerance and understanding."

Events like Edison's Fourth of July fireworks show and concert, for which the township had raised money three years in a row and drew more than 10,000 people one year, are vital because they bring people together from all walks of life, Choi said.

"We can always do more to promote tolerance and understanding, and I think the primary strategy is through education and bringing people together," he said.

Since he got married at the end of June, Choi said he will take some time off to start a family but will definitely return to public service in the future. For now, he said the only position he has accepted is as a visiting associate at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics.