EDITORIAL
A FITTING
TRIBUTE
HOW TO REACH US
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.14 COM | OCT. 29 - NOV. 4, 2021
GO OUT AND VOTE!
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Steve Chen (l.) and Thomas Chen unveil a statue of former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman on Thursday,
Oct. 7, 2021. Photo by Paul Frangipane
Executives at the Flushing-based Crystal Window
& Door Systems unveiled earlier this
month a stunning, six-foot bronze statue
honoring the late Queens Borough President
Claire Shulman.
The statue remained on temporary display at Crystal
Windows & Doors production facility, where members of
the public could visit through Oct. 22 before the statue was
shipped upstate to Crystal Park.
The statue is a remarkable likeness of Shulman, capturing
her essence with her looking ready to step into her next
project — and frankly, it belongs in Queens.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards told QNS
that he would work to allocate funds toward the creation of
a copy of Claire’s statue that would be kept “home” here in
Queens.
After all, what better way to pay tribute to the work Shulman
did for Queens before, during and after her tenure as
borough president?
Shulman was the first woman to be elected as Queens
borough president, a position she held for 16 years, from 1986
until 2002, when she was term-limited. During that time,
dozens of neighborhoods were rezoned, generating development
which led to the economic revitalization of downtown
Jamaica, Flushing and Long Island City.
As borough president, Shulman was pivotal in ensuring
the progress of a number of cultural institutions, including
the Queens Museum of Art, the New York Hall of Science,
Queens Theatre in the Park and the Museum of the Moving
Image.
She played a major role in securing funding for 35,000
additional school seats and the completion of the Queens
Hospital Center, a $170 million complex serving 400,000 patients
annually that is the largest healthcare provider in the
borough.
Shulman remained active well into her 90s, having endorsed
Richards in the 2020 race for Queens borough president,
and also served as president and CEO of the Flushing
Willets Point Corona Local Development Corporation.
Most importantly, she helped people.
Shulman’s legacy is one we must always remember — and
bringing a statue bearing her likeness to the place she helped
shape is a fitting way to do so.
And we have the perfect place for it: Outside Queens Borough
Hall in Kew Gardens, at the former site of the Civic Virtue
statue, steps away from where Shulman led Queens into
a new era.
Tuesday, Nov. 2, is Election Day and is the time
everyone who is eligible should get out and
vote!
As reported, 67% of eligible American voters
voted in the presidential election last year. But
on average, only about 15% come out and vote in local
elections. This is something I find so very sad.
There are those I have spoken with who say they
won’t vote because their vote will not make a difference.
Well, their vote does make a difference.
This election will determine the next mayor of
New York City — Democrat Eric Adams or Republican
Curtis Sliwa. But think about this: The right
or wrong mayor could make or break our great city.
There are many issues facing us like unemployment,
housing, homelessness, rising food costs, the
pandemic, vaccine mandates and crime. The issues
are many more and have to be addressed. That is
why we must vote for the candidates who can best
deal with these issues and get the job done. That is
why we must all get out and vote.
I’m 72 years old and have voted since 1970 — even
while I was in the military. And I will get out and
vote on Nov. 2 because I believe it is my civic responsibility
to make my community a better and safer
place to live.
So, get out and vote, because it will make a difference!
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.,
Bellerose
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