Report By : Manzoor Hussain
An amazing and state of the art grand inauguration ceremony held by Assemblyman Mr. Lester Cnang the newly re elected Assemblyman from assembly District 49ty Brooklyn in the vast auditorium of New Utrecht High School large number of city and state officials grace the event those who witness the historical event included New York city Police officer Mr. Porteus , Mr. Simon Chik President Lions Club International, Paul Li President Bay Parkway Chinese Merchant Association, Mr. Hugh H. MO Attorney at Law, Angel Wu President Chinese American Social Service Center Fatima Zohra candidate for the mayor of New York City , Senator Mr. Steve Chan , Assemblyman Mr. Michael Navakhof , Lester Chang was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 8, 2022. The 49th Assembly District represents parts of Kings County.
Lester, born in America to Chinese immigrant parents who came in pursuit of the American Dream, grew up on Eldridge Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan
Lester Chang was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 8, 2022. The 49th Assembly District represents parts of Kings County.
Lester, born in America to Chinese immigrant parents who came in pursuit of the American Dream, grew up on Eldridge Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
He is the proud product of New York’s public education system and has attended public school through his master’s degree. After graduating high school, he began studying at Brooklyn College to pursue a career in banking and finance. Eventually, he earned his master’s degree in International Transportation from SUNY Maritime College and started a career in logistics.
Lester served in the Navy Reserve and New York Naval Militia. He is a war veteran and served a tour in Afghanistan and has 20 years management experience in global trade and logistics. In March of 2020, Lester volunteered to return to active duty in support of COVID Operation, where he helped convert the Jacob Javits Convention Center into a field hospital that treated more than 1,000 COVID patients.
Additionally, he has worked with the Board of Elections as a Poll Site Coordinator for more than 30 years.
Lester is committed to serving New Yorkers as they try to earn a living, raise their families, educate their children, and live in a safe, secure environment. He will support more charter schools, fewer business regulations, compassion for the homeless, and respect the needs of all New Yorkers.
While serving in the Legislature, Lester will fight to reduce rampant crime, fix broken bail and parole laws, support law enforcement, lift the charter school cap, stop mandated curriculum for private schools, and provide meaningful, substantive support services for the homeless, veterans, and incarcerated individuals transitioning back to society.
Lester currently resides in Brooklyn.
Lester Chang
Lester Chang (Chinese: 鄭永佳) is an American businessman, naval reservist, and politician who represents the 49th district of the New York State Assembly, which comprises part of South Brooklyn. A Republican, he defeated longtime Democratic incumbent Peter J. Abbate Jr. in 2022.
Early life and education
Lester Chang was born in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan to parents from China. When he was 8 years old, his father died of cancer and the family moved to Hong Kong before moving to Midwood, Brooklyn. Chang graduated from Midwood High School, then Brooklyn College with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and the State University of New York Maritime College with a Master of Science in international transportation.[1]
Career
Chang previously worked in banking as well as international shipping logistics
Naval Reserve
Chang is a retired member of the United States Navy Reserve and current member of the New York Naval Militia. In the aftermath of 9/11, he was assigned to Washington, D.C. and was deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan as a military analyst.
Political career
Chang first ran for office in the 2016 special election for the 65th Assembly district to succeed Sheldon Silver following his resignation due to a corruption scandal. He was on the ballot for the Republican, Reform, Independence, and ‘Clean Up This Mess’ party lines.[2] He placed third behind Democrat Alice Cancel and Working Families Party-endorsed Yuh-Line Niou respectively.[3]
In 2020, he ran in the 26th State Senate district, losing to incumbent Democrat Brian Kavanagh.
In 2022, Chang announced he would run against longtime Democratic incumbent Peter J. Abbate Jr. in the 49th Assembly district. The redrawn district is majority Asian-American and includes parts of the Southern Brooklyn communities of Dyker Heights, Sunset Park, Borough Park and Bensonhurst.[4] In an upset attributed to Republican organizing in the traditionally Democratic-leaning Chinese community, Chang defeated Abatte
Residency challenges
Following his election to the State Assembly, the Brooklyn Democratic Party attempted to block Chang from being seated. Proponents claimed that Chang had been living in Manhattan and was therefore ineligible to have been elected under New York’s one-year residency requirement for candidates. Chang claimed to have lived in Manhattan until 2019, when his late wife passed away, before moving back to Brooklyn; but records show he had voted in Manhattan in 2021 and previously ran for office there in 2016 and 2020. Critics of the move pointed out that his ballot petitions could have been challenged in court before the election, but Democrats waited until after he had already won.[7][8]
An investigation organized by Speaker Carl Heastie concluded that Chang did own an apartment in Manhattan, but he fulfilled the residency requirements to run in the district.[9]
The Daily News editorial board published an article in support of Chang taking his Assembly seat, noting hypocrisy from Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and Heastie
Personal life
Chang lives in his childhood home in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. He has spoken about receiving mental health treatment for PTSD, the death of his wife from cancer in 2019, and aiding his 95-year-old mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease
References
- Campanile, Carl (December 21, 2022). “Newly elected GOP pol Lester Chang grilled by Democrats over residency: ‘I’m a Brooklynite'”. New York Post. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ Jump up to:a b Litvak, Ed (April 14, 2016). “Our Conversation with Assembly Candidate Lester Chang”. The Lo-Down. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ Yee, Vivian (April 20, 2016). “Mixed Results Seen in Special Races to Replace Silver and Skelos”. The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ Yan, Jie En (May 30, 2023). “州眾議員鄭永佳新辦公室 落腳漢密爾頓社區”. World Journal (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ Forsythe, Michael; Pallaro, Bianca; Root, Jay; Weiser, Benjamin (December 9, 2024). “How a Criminal With Close Ties to China Became a New York Power Broker”. The New York Times. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ Chan, Wilfred (November 28, 2022). “The other New York: how Republicans made ‘shocking’ gains in the empire state”. The Guardian. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ Campbell, Jon (20 December 2022). “A Republican won a Brooklyn Assembly election. Democrats may not let him take his seat”. Gothamist. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ Cruz, David (20 December 2022). “NY Assembly investigates Republican member-elect over residency questions”. Gothamist. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ Fink, Zack; Konig, Joseph. “Assembly Democrats won’t vote to expel Lester Chang over residency questions”. NY1. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ Editorial Board (December 4, 2022). “Where Lester lives: Lester Chang should be able to serve his constituents”. Daily News. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ “General Election 2022 – Member of the Assembly – 49th Assembly District” (PDF). New York City Board of Elections. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ “State Senator 26th Senate District – General Election – November 3, 2020”. New York State Board of Elections. December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ “Special Election 2016 – Member of the Assembly – 65th Assembly District” (PDF). New York City Board of Elections. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
External links
Photo Dunya International Global TV USA Manzoor Hussain
www.dunyaint.com
email: manzhussain72@yahoo.com