On May 7th, Andrew Cuomo, a mayoral candidate and former governor of New York State, visited Chinatown in New York City, where he visited the United Chinese Association and the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association to share his governing philosophy as a mayoral candidate, receiving a warm welcome from the traditional leaders and residents of the Chinatown community.
Cuomo first spent about an hour at the United Chinese Association, listening to key issues raised by community members, including public safety, homeless shelters, and affordable housing. He then, accompanied by Council Member Margaret Chin and community leaders such as Chu Chaoran, Liang Hanben, and Wu Jianshi, walked to the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association amid the sounds of lion dance drums.
Chu Chaoran, chairman of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, welcomed Cuomo’s visit in his speech, briefly outlining the association’s longstanding efforts in serving Chinese immigrants and pointing out the various challenges facing Chinatown. Before Chu Chaoran spoke, the meeting was chaired by Wang Dili, a Democratic candidate for the 65th District B community leader.
Chu Chaoran stated, “After the 9/11 incident, we have experienced many difficulties, including weak economic recovery, public safety issues, and increasingly unfavorable urban policies. We hope to cooperate with leaders who genuinely care about our community to address major issues such as the reopening of Bayard Street, opposition to community prisons and homeless shelters, combating hate crimes against Asians, improving public safety, and re-evaluating congestion pricing policies.”
Cuomo recalled the strong friendship his father, former Governor Mario Cuomo, had built with the Chinese community during his tenure, and outlined several major policy initiatives he would prioritize if elected as mayor, covering areas such as public safety, community equity, affordable housing, specialized high schools and gifted programs in education, and supporting the development of Chinatown.
“Maintaining public safety is a top priority,” Cuomo said. “We need to do better in terms of public safety and should hire more police officers.” He also emphasized the need to actively promote affordable housing policies to maintain the housing ownership rates of residents in the community.
On the educational front, Cuomo advocated for expanding specialized high schools and gifted programs, insisting on using academic performance as the sole admission criterion and increasing quotas. “We should not reduce enrollment in specialized high schools but instead provide more opportunities for excellent students to benefit,” he said.
He stated, “You are not receiving the treatment you deserve right now. I hope to work with you to promote the continued growth of the community, ensure that the city government hears and responds to your needs, and ensure that you receive fair treatment and the attention you deserve.”
Furthermore, he expressed, “I hope Chinatown not only remains preserved but also thrives. Your community is an important part of American history. Since the early days of the founding of the United States, you have been here, helping America become the nation it is today. This history is preserved and showcased in Chinatown, so Chinatown should become bigger and stronger, not just a community but also an important landmark of New York City.”
Council Member Margaret Chin accompanied Cuomo throughout his visit to Chinatown and publicly expressed her support for his mayoral campaign. She said, “Based on Cuomo’s governing experience, I believe he can make a difference in public safety, municipal construction, and advocating for the Chinese community. He is the only trustworthy candidate.” She added, “We need a leader who will fight for us and ensure community safety. I hope everyone chooses a mayor like him on June 24th.”
While Cuomo did not make specific commitments on community concerns such as the reopening of Bayard Street, opposition to community prisons, and homeless shelters during this visit, he stated that further understanding of the details of these issues is needed and a decision will be made after evaluating the scope of the future mayor’s authority.