Brooklyn State Senator Candidate Profile: Steve Chan

BROOKLYN, NY — Steve Chan, 58, a Republican, is running for State Senator in District 17, which includes Sunset Park, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Gravesend and Kensington, in Brooklyn's general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Before running for office, Chan, from Bensonhurst, was a police sergeant in the New York Police Department and a United States Marine.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article contains information about one of several candidates who have announced their campaigns for Brooklyn offices in the 2024 general election. Patch has contacted the other candidates with the same questions and will post replies as they are received.

PATCH: What are your qualifications to run for office?

CHAN: I've been a resident of Brooklyn for 47 years. Most of it in Bensonhurst. I've seen the changes through the decades. I don't talk the talk, I walk the walk. I served 27 years in the NYPD as a street cop, an undercover investigator, and as second in command of a crime scene unit. So, I think I know a thing or two about fighting crime, and what the police need from us to help them. I served 10 years as a parent volunteer in 2 public schools, serving as PTA president of IS 187 Christa McAuliffe, and Title 1 chairperson in PS 112 overseeing the spending of the federal Title 1 funds totaling in the millions of dollars over the years. I'm a small homeowner, I know the difficulties of being a small landlord. I was a small business owner, operating a retail florist, I know how hard it is for small business owners. I know my neighborhood.

PATCH: What are the key issues in your district that you'd tackle in office? How would you tackle them?

CHAN: Public safety, quality of life, congestion pricing, dangerous subways, illegal immigration, homeless shelters being built in our backyards are what's on everyone's minds.

There is no recourse for committing crimes. Bail reform has to be dismantled, discretion has to be given back to the judges to keep dangerous criminals and recidivists in jail. We have to give back to the police the tools and laws that they need to do their jobs. DAs have to actually prosecute criminals.

Being an immigrant myself, I advocate for legal immigration. But we have to stop inviting everyone else's problems, we are out of resources, we must stop the wasteful spending. We need to help our own needy first.

There are solutions, options to the homeless shelters. There are other places where they can be built with less of a community to be affected. Programs have to be revamped to help the homeless get on their feet. Money needs to be diverted to provide simple jobs for some of these people.

PATCH: What sets you apart from the other candidate?

CHAN: I'm accessible. I've lived intimately with our community in the neighborhood for 47 years. I'm a people's person. I love to talk to everyone. My decades of public service is proof that I'm here for the people of our community. I'm not a politician. I can work with all parties. I know what the police need, I know what our schools/ teachers/ students need. I know what our small business owners/ homeowners need. I'm not looking for a job, I'm looking to represent us.

My opponent has done nothing for the neighborhood. She doesn't talk to the constituents. She's a far left Working Families Party endorsed candidate, she stands for everything that our community is against. She's only worried about herself, and her private interest groups. Her silence on the homeless shelter has been deafening. Only now, close to the election, she speaks out against the homeless shelter at 2501 86 street, now she says she supports the police, she'll say anything to get elected. The working Families Party declared war on the police in 2022. They advocate for the criminals, and undocumented immigrants.

PATCH: What is one thing that always makes you smile about your district?

CHAN: The good people from all corners of the world, thriving together. Families working hard to build their lives. Children going to school to learn. We've built a strong, flourishing neighborhood. Now we must protect it.