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QUEENS WEEKLY, AUGUST 23, 2020
Shulman
as former Assemblywoman
Marge Markey, current
Queens District Attorney
Melinda Katz and Councilman
Barry Grodenchik.
“At a time when government
and governance were
at a low ebb in her beloved
Queens, Claire stepped
into the breach in 1986 and
quickly righted the ship of
state, giving the people of
Queens the best government
they ever had,” Grodenchik
said Monday. “Her
legacy of service is beyond
measure but includes tens
of thousands of new school
seats, a new Queens Hospital
Center, Queens Theatre,
Queens Zoo, USTA National
Tennis Center, Museum of
the Moving Image, Queens
Botanical Garden, Queens
Museum, Jamaica Center
of Arts and Learning, new
terminals at JFK Airport,
saving the homes of 20,000
families during the co-op
and condo crisis of the late
1980s, the New York Times
printing plant, Arverne
by the Sea, a new civil and
criminal court building, a
restored Unisphere, SAGE
(the first LGBT senior center
in Queens), Louis Armstrong
House, Thalia Spanish
Theatre, FDA regional
laboratory at York College,
Queens West, countless
local parks, playgrounds
and libraries either rebuilt
or built anew, Townsend
Harris High School, and a
new 107th Precinct, among
many other projects.
Other projects overseen
by Shulman included the
Citicorp Building in Long
Island City, the Langston
Hughes Library, the Flushing
Bay Promenade and
Flushing Town Hall.
“We are deeply saddened
by the passing of
former Queens Borough
President Claire Shulman.
A strong advocate for the
arts, her unwavering commitment
put Queens on
the map as a hub of culture,”
Veronica Tsang,
president of the board
at Flushing Town Hall,
and Ellen Kodadek, executive
and artistic director
of Flushing Town Hall,
said in a statement. “Flushing
Town Hall, like many
of our fellow cultural institutions
in the borough,
would never have existed
without Claire’s determination
and support. Last
year, at our 40th anniversary
gala, we were proud
to honor Claire, reflecting
her staunch commitment to
Queens. It would be hard to
imagine the richness of our
cultural life of Queens, and
of the borough itself, without
Claire Shulman’s hand.
She will be sorely missed
as a friend and supporter
of our institution, and we
thank her for her dedication.
On a day of sorrow,
we also celebrate her life
and her legacy.”
Looking back at her
track record, Shulman has
said luring the film industry
back to the city was one
of her greatest accomplishments.
It generates almost
$9 billion a year while creating
more than 130,000
jobs.
“We got the 5 1/2 acres
from the federal government
for $1,” Shulman once
said of the former Paramount
Studio that is Kaufman
Astoria Studios today.
“From zero dollars to $9 billion
is not bad at all.”
Paving the way
After Shulman was termlimited,
she was succeeded
by Helen Marshall, and then
Katz, who remembers Shulman
as a trailblazer, a fierce
leader who dedicated her life
to bettering the lives of all
Queens residents who paved
the way for women leaders
across the borough.
“I was honored to follow
in her footsteps as Queens
borough president and owe
her a great debt of gratitude
for her amazing leadership
and profound dedication to
public service,” Katz said.
“Claire was absolutely pivotal
to the vibrancy and
prosperity of Queens County
that we continue to enjoy
today.”
Acting Borough President
Sharon Lee said her
office will host a special
tribute in the coming days
to honor the life and legacy
of Shulman, who she called
larger than life.
“She did not waste time
and lived every single minute
fully and with purpose.
In a borough known for trailblazers,
few have led a life of
dedicated public service as
robust and as effective as
Claire Shulman,” Lee said.
“You just couldn’t say no to
Claire Shulman. She transformed
the landscape of the
city’s largest borough, and
so much of what we see and
enjoy today are the results
of her extraordinary vision
and decisions made over 18
years ago.”
Shulman’s legacy will be
likely carried on at Borough
Hall by Councilman Donovan
Richards, whom she endorsed
in a wide-open race
for borough president. He
won the June 23 Democratic
primary.
“I lost a good friend last
night. Queens lost a true
gem last night,” Richards
said Monday. “Her strength,
tenacity and persistence is
why she led the borough of
Queens with honor and such
distinction for nearly two decades.
When I made the decision
to run for borough president,
I reached out to Claire
for advice, mentorship and
support. Our first meeting
lasted nearly five hours at her
kitchen table, where she proceeded
to give me a history
lesson on Queens.”
Shulman stood alongside
Richards under the Unisphere
in October 2019 as he
announced his candidacy.
“But more importantly
she was there for the entire
ride. Yes, in her 90s, she texted
me just about every morning
to check in on the campaign,”
Richards said. “In true motherly
fashion, she would worry
a little too much. When I won
the democratic nomination,
she was my first call. Last
week, she called to tell me her
final goodbye. She had no fear
as she prepared for her next
journey. I told her I loved her
and we shall meet again. She
will forever live on through
my work and heart.”
Shulman was still working
as president of the Flushing
Willets Point Corona
Local Development Corporation
when she died at her
home surrounded by her children,
former astronaut Ellen
Baker, and Larry and Linda
Shulman.
Continued from Page 1
Barry Grodenchik with Claire Shulman.
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz (r.), was honored at the Flushing Town Hall event,
with former Borough President Claire Shulman at her side.
Donovan Richards announces his campaign for Queens borough president, with Claire Shulman standing at his side.
QNS file photo