Queens Borough President Primary 2020: Meet Dao Yin

QUEENS, NY — Queens Democrats will get to cast a ballot Tuesday in a collection of local, state and federal primary races — including the primary election for borough president, a position that opened up after former Queens Borough President Melinda Katz took office as Queens district attorney at the start of the year.

The winner of the primary election will face Queens GOP Chair Joann Ariola in November's general election to determine who will serve as borough president for the remainder of Katz's term, which is up at the end of 2021.

Borough presidents oversee major land-use decisions and control a multimillion-dollar budget to support local organizations. They also appoint members of community boards, the City Planning Commission and community education councils, which govern school districts along with the local superintendent.

The primary election on June 23 is open to registered Democratic voters. Voters who requested an absentee ballot must send it in by the date of the election for the vote to get counted.

Click here to find your poll site. Early voting is available from June 13 to June 21.

Patch reached out to all candidates in the race for borough president to create these profiles. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

Dao Yin

Neighborhood of residence: Bayside

Family: Dao Yin lives with his wife, Haruka; his two children, Isabel (18) and Derek (17); and their family dog, Logan.

Education:

• M.S., Computer Information Systems, Baruch College
• B.A., Political Science, Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan)
• B.A., Library and Information Science, East China Normal University

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

Dao Yin is the first member of his family to get involved in politics and government.

Occupation/experience:

Dao Yin has worked as a business manager for 25 years; in IT systems for 10 years, and as a Corporate Controller and in finance for 15 years. He has worked for a variety of businesses in the United States, Japan, and China.

Current and/or previous elected positions:

Dao Yin has been a community activist in Queens for two decades. Since 2005, Dao Yin has been the Secretary-General of the Shanghai Association of America, and he has served as the Executive Vice President of the Queens Residents and Voters Coalition since 2018.

Campaign website: www.daoyin.nyc

Why are you running for borough president?

As a businessman, Dao Yin will bring creative leadership to Queens and ensure that we bring our economy back on track. Unfortunately, the political establishment has catered to special interests and failed to address the longstanding problems of homelessness, crumbling public transit, and the lack of affordable housing. Dao Yin’s opponents have been members of the political establishment for years and have failed to address these problems.

Dao Yin is a businessman and will increase jobs by working with large corporations which seek to invest in us. He will work to renegotiate better deals with Amazon and other corporations to bring jobs back to Queens. As a first-generation immigrant himself, Dao Yin knows how hard it is to raise a family in Queens, and Dao Yin is fighting for all communities to make sure their voices are heard.

The single most pressing issue facing Queens is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it:

The single most pressing issue facing Queens is public safety. Dao Yin is the only candidate in the race focusing on keeping all residents in Queens safe and standing up in support of our men and women in blue. Rather than focus on ill-conceived “reforms,” Dao Yin will focus on protecting the lives and property of our residents. He will not allow thieves, gangsters, and criminals to abuse our open, democratic society. Dao Yin will increase the funding given to the NYPD and will collaborate with community leaders throughout Queens to promote trust and respect and ensure we can all live peacefully together.

What is the main difference between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Dao Yin’s four opponents are all members of the failed political establishment. He is the only businessman in the race and is the only candidate with a proven track record of success in managing budgets and successfully implementing large projects. Dao Yin is also the only candidate standing up for the rights of all residents of Queens to vote and have an elected Queens Borough President. Because of the failures of his opponents when the Special Election for Queens Borough President was cancelled, the residents of Queens are now left with an unelected borough president for the entirety of the 2020 calendar year. Queens deserves better. Dao Yin is the only candidate standing up for true democracy and is the candidate best suited to bring back jobs and keep residents of Queens safe.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Dao Yin is uniquely prepared to lead this City and represent Queens during these difficult times given his routine work on budgeting, finance, accounting, and IT management. As a community activist in Queens for two decades, Dao Yin has worked tirelessly to set up local and online-based businesses and bring jobs to his friends and neighbors in Queens. Dao Yin’s business experience has enabled him to balance budgets while improving the lives of his colleagues and still helping his businesses make a profit. Dao Yin will use his business and management skills to bring New York City back on track.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

As Dao Yin felt the urge to run for office in order to give long-ignored communities a voice, he sought the advice of many community leaders, including Jimmy Meng, a businessman and former member of the New York State Assembly. Jimmy Meng strongly advised Dao Yin to enter the race, given that Mr. Yin has fought consistently to give Chinese Americans, Asians and other underrepresented communities a voice in Queens.

The outpouring of support from throughout Queens has confirmed that Dao Yin’s candidacy is already making a significant difference. Along with many other community activists and organizations, Jimmy Meng has since endorsed Dao Yin, stating that, “Anyone who believes in fair representation should vote for Dao Yin on June 23.” Dao Yin is gratified to receive support and encouragement from community leaders and organizations from throughout Queens.