Manhasset resident David Yaudoon Chiang is the Republican candidate running for the Town of North Hempstead Fourth District seat.
Chiang’s family immigrated from China to the United States when he was only 10 years old. He is the youngest of six siblings. His family settled in Brooklyn upon arrival, and at a young age, he began to work helping his father in the clothing factory business.
He went on to graduate from NYU in 1992 with honors, where he double majored in finance and international business.
Around 10 years ago, Chiang became a stay-at-home dad by choice in order to assist his family.
He left his successful career as an investment banker on Wall Street because his mother grew ill with Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. Around the same time, his youngest child was prematurely born.
Chiang moved to Manhasset six years ago with his wife and three children. He believes Manhasset and the Great Neck area have a strong school system, perfect for his children.
As co-president of the Chinese Association of North Hempstead, Chaing is actively trying to integrate the Asian community with the town.
“There is a 20 percent increase of the Asian community within the Town of North Hempstead, but there is absolutely no Asian representation within the local government,” Chiang said.
In a short time, Chiang became a community activist for the Manhasset community and has been awarded citations from Nassau County and New York State for his work. Chiang was approached by the Republican committee to become the candidate because of his accomplishments.
“With the help of the Manhasset Association of Chinese Americans, we are actively pushing for legislation to ban the recreational sale of marijuana in the Town of North Hempstead,” Chiang said.
Chiang does not have a background in politics, but he believes his skill sets would give the council seat a new voice.
“The norm is electing lawyers turned politicians, someone great at giving speeches and debates but not as good at managing money,” Chiang said. “Finances should be a strong concern of the town as taxpayers are directly affected.”
Chiang believes the major issues facing Great Neck, Manhasset and Roslyn are the same as the foremost issues confronting all residents which are soaring taxes that are not sustainable.
“Politicians try to get credit for the AAA rating,” Chiang said. “However, they should not get credit for it the residents should receive credit because they pay their taxes on time.”
Brookfield Properties submitted an application to redevelop the Macy’s parking lot in Manhasset that would include housing, office spaces, retail and a hotel.
Chiang is against the current proposal for the Brookfield Properties development because it would overwhelm the infrastructure in that area. He believes that development is very important, but it should not affect residents greatly as Brookfield would.
“We must ensure that residents are getting the most amount of service for every dollar,” Chiang said. “I came to America with nothing and built a personalized American dream through hard work, and I would like to give back to the community and bring diversity into local government.”
Farrah Salazar is a contributing writer for Anton Media Group
