Wei-Li Tjong for Assembly member

A lifelong Lower East Side resident. An experienced attorney and community leader. Ready to hit the ground running for Assembly District 65 on Day One.

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LOWER EAST SIDE

CHINATOWN

TWO BRIDGES

Born here. Raised here. Still here.

For over 50 years, this neighborhood has shaped my life and now I’m ready to fight for its future in Albany.

Son of immigrants. Neighbors for life.

My father arrived in 1971 with almost nothing. Sharing a tenement bed with a shift worker, translating by day and waiting tables in Chinatown by night. My mother came from Brazil a year later. I was born here, and we learned English together.

That's not just my story — it's the story of this district. I grew up in the diversity of downtown: attending PS 124 at Confucius Plaza, playing stickball off East Broadway, riding bikes through Loisaida. My parents both became NYC public school teachers, won the lottery for a Seward Park Co-op apartment, and never left. Neither did I. Scholarships took me to Dalton, Johns Hopkins, and NYU Law — and for 25 years I've practiced law in New York while volunteering as a community leader here at home.

I know how legislation is written. I know where it fails the people it was meant to protect.

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The issues that matter to our community

Wei-Li will fight to expand affordable housing protections, support co-op models, and keep longtime residents from being priced out of the neighborhood that shaped them.
He will push for increased funding for public housing maintenance, and propose statewide legislation to mandating affordable housing ratios in any development over a certain size, based on population density.
He will protect Mitchell-Lama and subsidized housing programs, as well as residential developments that are naturally-occuring retrirement communities (NORCs).
As the son of Asian and Latina immigrants, Wei-Li understands what's at stake. Legal immigrant populations and even naturalized American citizens are being abused, rounded up, and harassed; even as federal agents seek the desperate, frightened and undocumented.
He'll fight for policies that protect our immigrant neighbors, ensure due process for the most vulnerable of populations seeking safety and a better life, and affirm our community's commmitment to diversity.
Every resident deserves to feel safe--free from crime and free from hate.
Wei-Li supports ethical law enforcement and local policing, and the community-based strategies that build trust and address the root causes of violence, including creating foundational connections between our district's diverse ethnic and socioeconomic communities, to strengthen mutual understanding and respect.
Healthcare shouldn't be a luxury. Wei-Li will advocate for expanded healthcare coverage for all, lower premium and prescription costs, and greater access to mental health services for working families.
Wei-Li will champion legislation to enable intentional communities, whether housing cooperatives, tenant's associations, benevolent associations, and other organized communities ought to be able to buy group health insurance, just like a large employer, thereby driving down the costs of each individual's premiums and other healthcare expenses.
Our older neighbors built this community. Wei-Li will fight to expand home care, transportation support, and anti-displacement protections so seniors can stay in their homes.
Too many families struggle to put food on the table. Wei-Li will champion local food infrastructure and push to expand nutrition assistance programs across the district.
Vibrant public spaces are the lifeblood of our neighborhood. Wei-Li will push to improve parks and community centers so all residents have places to gather and thrive.
The son of two NYC public school teachers, Wei-Li will fight to increase state education funding, support bilingual programs, and ensure every child gets a quality education.

The experience Albany needs on Day One.

For 25 years, Wei-Li has spent his career working with the texts that govern us — drafting contracts, interpreting statutes, and guiding clients through the full weight of city, state, and federal law. He knows how legislation is written. He knows where it succeeds and where it fails the people it was meant to protect.

He is the only practicing attorney in this race. He is also the only candidate who has directly governed a large and diverse community of thousands for decades — as president of Seward Park Cooperative, a community of over 5,000 residents, for 25 years. Those aren't just credentials. That's what he brings to Albany on Day One, for you.

“This community gave my family everything. I humbly ask for your support so I can give something back.”

25 Years

practicing law in New York

5K+

residents he’s led as Sward Park Co-op President for over 25 years

1000+

pro bono hours on legal cases to support the community

endorsements

GRAND STREET DEMS

DEMOCRATIC CLUB
Grand Street Democrats was founded in 2017 to provide a progressive, inclusive, active, and transparent Democratic organization on the Lower East Side, specifically to represent Democratic voters in the 65th Assembly District, Part A. The club endorsed Wei-Li at their February 25th endorsement meeting.
PAUL NEWELL

DEMOCRATIC DISTRICT LEADER AD 65C
"I have known Wei-Li Tjong for over 30 years. His connection to our neighborhoods runs deep. I’ve also watched him as a leader – of residents on the Lower East Side, of a small business, and in the Democratic Party. In each of these roles, Wei-Li brings brilliance, thoughtfulness, and compassion. Above all, Wei-Li gets things done. Lower Manhattan will be well-served by him. I am proud to endorse Wei-Li Tjong for the 65th Assembly District."
VIC LEE

DEMOCRATIC STATE COMMITTEE MEMBER, AD 65
“Albany doesn't just need people who care about the right policies. It needs people who know how to build things and make them work. Wei-Li has built a law firm from the ground up and led a community of thousands. He understands that good legislation means nothing if it can't be implemented. That's a rare combination, and exactly what our district needs.”
JESSICA KRAMER

DEMOCRATIC DISTRICT LEADER AD 65A
“Wei-li and I have had the opportunity to work together on the Seward Park Cooperative Board and through our work together at Grand Street Dems and as local electeds on the Lower East Side. He’s a long time dedicated public servant who has always given back to this community. His legal background and local expertise make him a great candidate for the NY Assembly, where I know he’ll serve with dedication and a sense of justice for all New Yorkers. “