Weihua Yan for Nassau Legislative District 10

The 10th District includes northwestern Nassau from Kings Point south to North New Hyde Park and north to part of Port Washington.

Weihua Yan recognizes that he had “tremendous support” since he first arrived in the United States from China as a high school exchange student. Now he wants to give back, to help future generations achieve their versions of the American dream.

Running in an increasingly diverse and often divided district, Yan hopes to bridge some of those gaps and provide a rare but needed voice for the growing Asian American community across the district and the county.

Great Neck Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip, who is in her first term, has her own emigration story, as an Ethiopian-born Jew who migrated to Israel at 12, served in the Israeli Defense Forces, and came to the U.S. 15 years ago. Pilip, 44, sees herself primarily as a voice for her district, who can get necessary grant funding and address resident concerns. She points to successes, such as her effort to turn over county-owned neglected open space near Great Neck Middle School to the Great Neck Park District. Pilip said she is seeking a flood mitigation study to be completed next year specific to her district.

But Pilip is less certain on and less committed to critical county issues, expressing assurance that Bruce Blakeman’s administration is working on a problem without adding a necessary dose of skepticism, or her own perspective. Pilip will point fingers at state officials on housing, or previous county administrations on assessment, but offers no ideas to solve either.

Yan, 54, said he’d welcome mixed-use development, including housing near train stations or on other vacant properties, pointing to former retail locations or areas like Great Neck Plaza as spots with potential. The Great Neck Democrat noted the importance of thinking more broadly on issues like flooding and climate change mitigation, suggesting that solutions are best found by evaluating and addressing those problems on a countywide basis. He sees a legislator’s role as an advocate for constituents and a partner in government, while noting the necessity of conducting oversight and holding others, including the county executive, accountable. Yan, an entrepreneur who started software and e-commerce businesses like Diapers.com, said he could best utilize his background and experience to help Nassau move forward on technology issues and to assess its own cyber readiness.

Yan brings a fresh, thoughtful perspective and a key skill set to a county that needs both.

Newsday endorses Yan.