FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com january 12, 2017 • PERSON OF THE YEAR • The Queens Courier 25 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JANUARY 12, 2017 • PERSON OF THE YEAR • HE QUEENS COURIER 25 person of the year SEEKING JUSTICE FOR ALL Queens County Clerk Audrey Pheff er, serving the borough with pride BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@qns.com/@A_ GiudiceReport In a year fi lled with almost too many high-profi le celebrity deaths, and a tightly contested presidential election that seems to have divided the country even further, there was one shining light from Queens who is dedicated to making the “World’s Borough” an even better place to live every day. Queens County Clerk Audrey Pheff er has been working hard for the “World’s Borough” for decades during her tenure as Assemblywoman for the 23rd District and as a determined community activist before that. For those reasons, she has been named the Queens Courier Person of the Year for 2016. Pheff er was born in Brooklyn, but moved to the Rockaways early in her life. She attended high school in the Rockaways, and earned a degree from Queens College. It was at Queens College where Pheff er became interested in community activism. A life of service Her fi rst foray into community activism was when she got involved with the Association for the Help of Retarded Children. “Th at really put me on the road to advocacy because there were so many needs and I worked with the local organization and we fought for a school and for travel training, and many different things,” Pheff er said in an interview with QNS. “I became more or less of an advocate and realized that you have to have a voice. You have to fi ght for things that you’re really interested in.” Th rough her advocacy, Pheff er began her political career, working with several elected offi cials over the years, including thenstate Senator Jeremy Weinstein, who has since risen to administrative judge of the Supreme Court in Queens County (Civil) in 2007. In 1987, Pheff er was elected to the New York State Assembly for District 23, representing the Rockaways. “Audrey served her district with distinction for over 24 years,” said former Assemblyman Philip Goldfeder, who took over the 23rd Assembly District in 2011 aft er Pheff er resigned the post to become Queens County Clerk. “It was quite daunting to fi ll her shoes. She was the perfect example of what a public servant should be. It was an honor to learn from her over the years. What made Audrey so amazing is she worked so hard on so many diff erent issues like fi ghting to get rid of the toll on the Crossbay Bridge. Th is job is never done and I was proud to continue her work and accomplish more for the district.” Now that Goldfeder is stepping down as assemblyman, in a twist of fate, a Pheff er will be looking to fi ll his shoes in the 23rd District. Pheffer’s daughter, Stacey Pheff er-Amato, was elected as the new assemblywoman for the 23rd District in last year’s election. “Serving the public was one of the greatest privileges I’ve ever had,” Goldfeder added. “It was not easy to leave offi ce, but knowing that I was able to continue Audrey’s work, and now Stacey will hopefully continue my work. If I was able to learn so much from Audrey, I can only imagine what Stacey will learn and accomplish.” Pheff er-Amato is excited to get to work in the district that her mother served for nearly two and a half decades. “My mother was Assemblywoman for over 24 years. She worked hard, with respect and compassion for the betterment of our community. I am so honored and proud to be elected by the community she served,” Pheff er-Amato said. “As a mother, raising my two children in the same community I was, I understand the values my mother instilled in me as a young girl. Watching fi rst-hand the importance of giving back and working for your community completely shaped me into the person I am today.” Seeking fair justice for all Pheff er succeeded the late Gloria D’Amico in 2011 as Queens County Clerk, appointed by the Second Department Appellate Court. Although it would bring big changes, Pheff er was ready to tackle her new position with the same enthusiasm and vigor she gave to being a community activist and elected offi cial. “Th e thing is, it’s completely diff erent, so it really was a challenge, and it gave me a new lease on life,” Pheff er said of switching over to the Queens County Clerk position. Since being appointed as the Queens County Clerk almost six years ago, Pheff er now wants to bring Queens’ biggest claim to fame — its diversity — into one place that may need it the most: the juror pool. Th e U.S. Constitution states that every citizen is guaranteed the right to be judged by a jury of their peers. In the most diverse county in the entire United States, fi nding the most balanced and equitable jury can be a challenging task. Pheff er is looking to make that process a little less challenging by getting more people signed up to be a part of the jury pool. “Your peers means that those that are judging you, and in our case in a jury box, and when you look in that jury box, some of the people sitting in that jury box should be the same as you so you feel that you’re being tried by your peers,” Pheff er said. “We can’t provide everything, CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
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