16 NOVEMBER 11, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
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Richards appoints new deputy borough president, chief of staff
Ebony Young (l.) has been appointed Queens deputy borough president and Michael Mallon (r.) as Donovan Richards’ chief of staff .
Photos courtesy of borough president’s offi ce
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards announced
new staff appointments after
beating his Republican opponent
Thomas Zmich yesterday in the
general election on Tuesday, Nov. 2.
On Wednesday, Nov. 3, Richards
announced the appointments of
Ebony Young as the new Queens
deputy borough president and
Michael Mallon as his chief of staff,
beginning January 2022.
Young, native to Sunnyside, spent
20 years working for various nonprofits
like the Long Island City
YMCA, the Black Entrepreneur Initiative
and the Ladies of Hope Ministries,
and is considered a leader
when it comes to youth development
and social justice reform.
“I believe in the vision of Richards,
and I look forward to building a
Queens that works for everyone
alongside him and his team,” Young
said. “The commitment to continue
my longstanding history of thoughtful
and impactful advocacy is unwavering,
and I offer that successful
track record of leadership to the
people of Queens.”
Young also ran for City Council
District 26 earlier this year, before
front-runner Julie Won won the
primary in June.
Mallon has spent the past decade
in governmental service. He previously
serviced as director of intergovernmental
affairs for Richards,
where he handled office events, hate
crimes and bias response. Mallon
also served as a communications director
for term-limited Councilman
Daniel Dromm.
Mallon has proudly supported
the LGBTQ+ community for over a
decade, and has helped organize for
the passage of statewide legislation
to secure workplace protections for
transgender and gender-nonconforming
people. He has also raised
tens of thousands of dollars for
social service organizations that
protect marginalized communities.
Mallon is a transit activist and a
founding member of the Riders
Alliance.
“I am deeply honored to be appointed
to serve as Queens Borough
President Richards’ next chief of
staff. Richards has truly delivered
for the world’s borough over the
past year, and I remain committed
to working alongside him and
incoming Deputy Queens Borough
President Young to build upon that
progress,” Mallon said.
Richards said that Young and
Mallon are talented individuals
who have proved their dedication
to public service throughout their
careers.
“Young’s track record in the nonprofit
and housing sectors and Mallon’s
work in government exemplify
the kind of passion and perspective
we need to move Queens forward,”
Richards said. “I look forward to
serving with the incoming deputy
borough president and chief of staff,
and I can’t wait to continue the good
work.”
Rhonda Binda, who currently
serves as the deputy borough
president, and Franck D. Joseph II,
who currently serves as chief of
staff and senior adviser, will leave
Queens Borough Hall in the coming
weeks. They were both appointed by
Richards in December 2020, when he
first took over the office.
Binda will work in the private
sector and Joseph will explore other
professional opportunities.
“In just 10 months, the Queens borough
president’s office achieved so
much, and Franck and Rhonda have
been integral partners in what we’ve
done,” Richards said. “From launching
the Gender Justice Initiative to
working to place Queens on the map
as a tech capital, Rhonda has been
instrumental in getting the work
started. As my first chief of staff and
senior adviser, Franck has been my
right hand and crucial in getting my
office off the ground. From restructuring
the office, launching new initiatives,
and being a steady hand as
a leader, I couldn’t be more thankful
to have had him by my side. I thank
them both for all they’ve done for
our borough.”
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