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First-ever woman majority poised to take over
City Council, including several from Queens
BY BILL PARRY
Congresswoman Carolyn
Maloney honored people and
businesses in western Queens
that served the community
during the height of the COVID
19 pandemic.
Maloney met with community
partners, volunteers and
restaurant owners to thank
them for their community
service throughout the public
health crisis.
“At the beginning of the
pandemic, Queens was the national
hotspot with families,
hospitals and small businesses
deeply impacted,” Maloney
said. “Throughout the pain
and suffering, western Queens
residents, small businesses and
organizations came together
and partnered with Jonathan
Forgash of Queens Together to
do what New Yorkers do best in
time of need, organizing their
efforts, community contacts
and resources to ensure that
our neighbors had enough food
on the table, supplies in their
cupboard and that they had access
to critical services.”
In addition to honoring
Forgash at Astoria’s Variety
Boys & Girls Club of Queens,
Maloney honored community
partners Astoria Welfare Society,
Lashawn “Suga Ray” Marston
and the North Brooklyn
Angels as well as volunteers
Phyllis Sharp, Kate Connors
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.16 COM | NOV. 12 - NOV. 18, 2021
and Megan Green.
“Queens Together is honored
that Congresswoman
Carolyn Maloney is shining
a bright light on some of the
hard-working restaurants, volunteers
and organizations that
worked with us during COVID
to feed people facing food and
economic insecurity,” Forgash
said. “To date, our restaurants
and food pantry networks have
helped feed over 200,000 people
since the start on COVID in
New York City.”
Maloney also honored the
Sacramone family, which
operates Sac’s Place at the
Kaufman Astoria Studios, for
delivering meals at all times
of the day to multiple hospitals
throughout the borough at the
height of the pandemic.
Other restaurants honored
for their actions included
Bund on Broadway, Ornella
Trattoria Italiana, Nneji,
Bel Aire Diner, Il Bambino,
Boishakhi, Dinos Pizzeria,
Fresh Start Organic, Rice X
Beans and M. Wells.
BY BILL PARRY
When the grassroots advocacy
group 21 in ‘21 was
founded in 2017, its goal was
to elect more women to seats
on the City Council. Now the
organization is celebrating
the first-ever woman majority
in the City Council, with as
many as 31 women heading to
the 51-member body — many
of them from Queens — pending
certification of the election
results.
“It’s an honor to be among
the most diverse City Council
in New York City history
and the first to be a woman
majority,” Councilwoman Selvena
Brooks-Powers said after
winning re-election to a full
term. “I’m so excited to work
with these leaders to fight for
policies that will empower
and support women and working
families. From maternal
mortality to equal pay to family
leave, we’re ready to get to
work.”
Lynn Shulman of Forest
Hills is poised to lead in District
29 when she replaces
Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz,
the leader of the Queens
City Council delegation, who is
term-limited.
“It wouldn’t have been possible
without 21 in ‘21,” Shulman
said. “This is an incredible
opportunity to make sure
New York City works for everyone.
We have important work
to do with health care access,
public safety reforms and investing
in education. I look forward
to working closely with
my dynamic and diverse colleagues
in making it happen.”
Councilwoman-elect Linda
Lee, is on the verge of being the
first woman elected to District
23, and the first Korean-American,
along with Julie Won, who
is poised to win the District 26
City Councils seat.
“The opportunity to serve
as District 23’s first councilwoman
is incredibly humbling,
not only for what it
means for me personally to
break the glass ceiling, but
also because I’m sending a
message to other girls and
women who aspire to public
service,” Lee said. “I know
that the incoming 21 in ‘21
class will work particularly
hard once in office because
we need to set an example for
our communities and demonstrate
excellence in action.”
Astoria’s Tiffany Cabán,
who came close to becoming
Queens district attorney, is
poised to replace former Councilman
Costa Constantinides.
“I am deeply honored to be
the next City Council member
for the 22nd District alongside
such hardworking, compassionate,
dope women who were
elected to represent their districts,”
Cabán said. “Together,
we’re going to fight for people
over profits, and communities
over corporations. We’ll continue
organizing together for
an economy that prioritizes
our small businesses, schools,
combatting the climate crisis,
and our workforce. And we’ll
organize to secure funding for
the services and supports that
keep people housed and safe.”
21 in ‘21 endorsed and supported
25 of the 31 women who
will likely make up the new
majority.
“21 in ‘21 set an audacious
goal and surpassed it,” 21 in
‘21 Executive Director Jessica
Haller said. “The organization
has brought women candidates
and now Council memberselect
of New York what they
need at the time they needed it.
We continue to support them
and to strengthen the bonds
with the new majority.”
One-third of the new majority
are mothers; one-third
were first-time candidates;
and two-thirds are women of
color.
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4538.
A first-ever woman majority is poised to take over the City Council with many
representing Queens, and supported by 21 in ’21. Courtesy of 21 in ‘21
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney honors volunteers for their community service
during the COVID-19 pandemic, including Jonathan Forgash (far right) of
Queens Together. Courtesy of of Maloney’s office
Rep. Maloney honors those in western Queens
who ‘cared for community’ during pandemic
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