Queens Borough Hall unveils tribute
to late former BP Claire Shulman
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
Family, friends and former
staffers of Claire Shulman, the
late former Queens borough
president, gathered alongside
elected officials and community
representatives outside
Queens Borough Hall on April
26 for the unveiling of “One
Claire Shulman Way” as its
vanity address.
Shulman, the first female
Queens borough president,
served the “World’s Borough”
for 16 years from 1986 to 2002.
She became deputy president
in 1980 and interim borough
president in 1986 after Borough
President Donald Manes resigned.
Despite all doomsday
prophecies from the political
elite, she went on to win four
re-elections before vacating the
seat due to term limits.
Shulman died on Aug. 16,
2020, at the age of 94, leaving behind
her daughter Ellen Baker
(an astronaut), her son Larry
Shulman (an oncologist) and
grandchildren.
Family, friends and elected
officials alike called Shulman,
who was born in Brooklyn, a
trailblazer who was tough, but
fair, willing to give those who
worked hard a fighting chance.
Queens Borough President
Donavan Richards described
how the political establishment
underestimated her when
she took over the borough
president’s office.
“Boy, did she prove them
wrong. Every step of the way,”
Richards said before listing
some of her many accomplishments
during her tenure as
borough president.
Richards spoke about how
Shulman led the charge in the
rezoning of dozens of neighborhoods
to create appropriate
zoning restrictions, generating
reasonable and responsible
development while preserving
the character of many existing
neighborhoods. She was behind
the economic revitalization of
many communities, as well as
the expansion and improvement
of the borough’s infrastructure.
She also increased
funding for senior citizens, cultural
programs and libraries
during her tenure.
Elected officials join family and friends of the late Claire Shulman to celebrate the unveiling of “One Claire Shulman Way.”
Richards also described how
his predecessor was a powerful
advocate for Queens, fighting
fiercely but fairly for the borough’s
residents, never taking
no for an answer.
Richards shared that she became
his unofficial campaign
manager last year, sometimes
texting him at 6 a.m. about issues
related to the budget.
“I miss her friendship. I
miss her counsel. I’m reminded
of carrying on her legacy when
I sit in that seat every day. And I
get emotional. Last week, I was
going through text messages
from her again. Just reminiscing
on all of those great conversations
we had about the future
of this borough. And we’re going
to continue to carry out that
legacy in her honor,” Richards
said. “Miss you, Claire. Miss
you, dear. Love you. I would not
be here without you.”
Shulman’s son Larry spoke
during the ceremony and recalled
that his mother was
loving and expected a lot from
her kids. He also shared that
one of the few regrets he had
was teaching a 90-year-old
how to text message, noting
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.2 COM | APRIL 30-MAY 6, 2021
how she frequently would send
messages, often at odd hours.
Dr. Shulman also spoke of
the former borough president’s
dedication to Queens and how
much she cared about the people
who live in the borough.
“She cared deeply about the
borough. But not the borough
in an abstract way. She cared
about the people who lived
in the borough. That’s really
what mattered,” he said before
expressing that honoring his
mother’s legacy with the unveiling
of the vanity address
means a lot to her family.
Queens District Attorney
Melinda Katz, a former borough
president, worked for
Shulman and described her as
a loving, but tough leader. Katz
recalled how Shulman gave her
a chance when so many others
wouldn’t after Katz lost her
race for Congress.
“It takes a very strong, confident
elected official to hire another
elected official to step up
into their office. And it shows
her confidence. It shows the
strength of her nature. It shows
that she was a force of nature. It
showed that she had faith in the
job that I was going to do, which
I was forever grateful for, and
she knew that I’d be loyal to the
office, I’d be loyal to her, and
most importantly to her, I’d be
loyal to Queens County. And I
am so proud of the years I spent
with her,” Katz said.
Former Acting Queens Borough
President Sharon Lee
described Claire Shulman as
legendary and remembered
that Shulman did not waste a
single moment, living life to
the fullest, moving hearts and
mountains.
“When you look across this
borough from west to east,
north and south, there is so
much that you see is a direct
result, a direct product of her
vision and her work,” Lee said.
“No one loved Queens more
than Claire Shulman.”
Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz
worked on various projects
with Shulman for many
years and said that she sees
Claire’s influence when she
goes around Queens.
“When I was term-limited
the first time, I became very
friendly with Claire personally,
where we will go out to dinner,
Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
and sit and talk. All she ever
talked about was Queens, how
she loved Queens. You could sit
and listen to her all day long,
telling stories about Queens. I
miss Claire Shulman. Claire,
rest in peace. I’m very happy
this building is being named
after Claire Shulman, and it’s
in my district,” Koslowitz said.
Shulman’s former Chief of
Staff Alex Rosa thanked Richards
for the extraordinary way
he commemorated Shulman
and remembered how much everyone
loved her.
“As Sharon said, she touched
our hearts. And I have seen her
move those mountains as she
said, to make things better for
everybody in Queens, whether
you were a senior or schoolchild,
and everyone in between.
She found a way to make things
work in every neighborhood to
improve our lives,” Rosa said.
“I was lucky enough to evolve
from a staff member to somebody
who actually called her
mom. I miss her dearly, and I’ll
look at this address always, as
a reminder of the time that we
had together. God bless you,
Claire.”
BAYSIDE TIMES (USPS#025088) is published weekly by Queens CNG LLC, 38-15 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY.11361, (718) 229-0300. The entire contents of this publication are copyright 2021. All rights reserved. The newspaper will
not be liable for errors appearing in any advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Periodicals postage paid at Flushing, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Bayside Times C/O Queens CNG
LLC. 38-15 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, N.Y. 11361.