Susan Zhuang has worked for William Colton, the longtime Assembly Member who represents some of the neighborhoods in this new council district, since 2015 and she is now his chief of staff. She has told CU that her work in the Assembly taught her how to “cut through the red tape” while building a strong constituent services operation. If elected, Zhuang’s top priorities would be to improve public safety by increasing the number of Mandarin- and Cantonese-speaking officers, expand school programming for special needs and gifted students, and address quality-of-life and affordable housing for seniors. In her candidate questionnaire answers, Zhuang supported most of CU’s reform priorities but differed on the question of open primaries, saying it could allow improper actors to interfere and weaken general election candidates’ appeal. Zhuang supports improving transparency within government and called to establish an independent ethics oversight agency with power to investigate pay-to-play issues and big corporate spending. CU was impressed with Zhuang’s emphasis on constituent work, her understanding of needs in the district, and her ability to elucidate the interplay between issues like public safety, education challenges, and language barriers. Citizens Union believes she is well suited to navigate city government to leverage resources for her community. We therefore endorse her in this race.

Ying Tan, a mother of two and a community activist, has dedicated the past seven years to volunteering in senior social services. Her entry into local politics was spurred by the City’s proposal to reform the admission process of the Gifted and Talented program. Her campaign is centered around enhancing services for senior citizens, improving education, and bolstering public safety measures. Tan aligns with some of Citizens Union’s reform priorities, such as advocating for the move of municipal elections to even-numbered years. However, she holds differing views on other matters, opposing initiatives like open primaries and remaining undecided on issues like ranked choice voting. While media reports place her residence in Queens, she told CU she plans to move her permanent address back to southern Brooklyn. Citizens Union values Tan’s dedication to her community.