2016 Election Category

Category: 2016 Election

NY Post Endorses Lester Chang

The Post endorses Lester Chang to fill Silver’s seat

By The New York Post Editorial Board - April 17, 2016

Voters in Tuesday’s special election to fill the Assembly seat of corrupt ex-Speaker Sheldon Silver have a chance to send a message: No more business as usual. But that’s only one of the reasons The Post endorses Lester Chang for the 65th Assembly District.

Chang, a local businessman and the son of immigrants, is also the candidate best suited to stand up for the interests of the district’s residents — from Chinatown voters concerned about the schools to residents further downtown worried about safety in the age of terror.

The Democratic candidate, Alice Cancel, is a joke. She’s barely campaigned after being handed the nomination by the machine — including the votes of Silver’s wife and former chief of staff (whose own husband did time for corruption). And, of course, Cancel actually called Silver — who made millions through abuse of his office — a “hero.”
Her big idea for Albany reform? A pay hike.

The Working Families Party candidate, Yuh-Line Niou, is certain to oppose what voters want: The hard-left WFP is no friend of policing or serious anti-terror policies. And, as a firm ally (if not pawn) of the teachers unions, it opposes all education reform.

Voters who want new education options like charter schools, or who support keeping the race-blind exam as the sole criterion for entry into the city’s top high schools, have a clear choice in Chang.

So do those worried about security: He’s a Naval Reserve analyst who served active-duty after 9/11 and Sandy, and in Afghanistan. He knows the threat and how to face it.

With the support of the Independence and Reform parties as well as the GOP, Chang would be a new kind of Republican in local politics — one who could truly help trigger transformation. His victory would also not only mark the rising political consciousness of city Asian-Americans, but also signal that the community won’t stand by while its values are ignored.

After four decades of Sheldon Silver, this district needs a real change — and Lester Chang is the only true “change” candidate.