4 The Courier sun • JANUARY 1, 2015 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com Comrie bids farewell to deputy BP seat, gears up for state Senate BY SALVATORE LICATA slicata@queenscourier.com @sal_licata1 Leroy Comrie has been serving Queens as deputy borough president for about a year, but he’s getting ready to return to an arena he’s more familiar with. He is starting his bid as the new state senator of the 14th District of Queens covering Jamaica, Queens Village, St. Albans and Hollis. Borough President Melinda Katz and her staff said goodbye to Comrie last week and praised him for the work he did there. Katz mentioned his tireless work ethic on behalf of the people of Queens and thanked Comrie for his wise counsel during her first year as borough president. She also mentioned that she believes he will do an outstanding job for his new, smaller group of constituents. Comrie served as a public figure in southeast Queens from 2002-2013 as councilman for the 27th District, which covers St. Albans, Jamaica, Hollis and Cambria Heights. In 2013, he ran for the borough president’s seat in Queens but later dropped out. When Katz won her seat she hired him as the second-in-command as the deputy borough president, a position he held until his nomination for state Senate in April. Comrie defeated incumbent state Sen. Malcolm Smith, whose political career took a turn for the worse after he was hit with federal charges for trying to bribe his way into the 2013 mayoral election as a Republican candidate. Comrie defeated Smith in the September primary for the Senate seat and ran unopposed in the November general election. Comrie, a Democrat, will take his seat in the Republicancontrolled state Senate as of Photo courtesy of Borough President Melinda Katz’s office Jan. 1. The 63-seat branch of the Legislature will now house 32 Republicans and 31 Democrats, making it more challenging for Democrats like Comrie to press their agenda in Albany. Comrie’s commute to work — he’ll now have to travel to Albany when the Legislature is in session — is only one of several trade-offs he’ll make by going from the borough president’s office to the Senate. He’ll take a hit in the pocketbook too, trading his $135,000 deputy borough president salary for the base salary of $79,500 as a state senator. Leroy Comrie and Borough President Melinda Katz RENOVATED LIBRARY OPENS IN ROSEDALE BY ROS BELSKY editorial@queenscourier.com/@QueensCourier After an eight-month renovation, the Rosedale branch of the Queens Library has reopened on schedule and under budget. The renovation project’s highlights include modern rooftop heating, ventilated and air-conditioned temperature control, and energy-efficient lighting. The new comfort is accentuated by general interior improvements and spring cleaning. Initially, Councilman Donovan Richards allocated $1 million for the project, but only $575,000 was used. Queens Library Interim President and CEO Bridget Quinn-Carey said of Richards, “He has made a great investment in the community.” Richards thanked the Department of Design and Construction for working in such a timely manner. “Public libraries are a vital part of the cultural fabric of our city,” Richards said. “The recent renovation of Rosedale Library gave me an opportunity to fulfill a promise to expand the capacity of our libraries so that they can serve an even wider portion of the public. I would like to thank Queens Library and DDC for working to bring these upgrades to the library patrons in such a timely and professional manner.” Since April 30, a mobile library bus provided service in Rosendale every Wednesday. Finally, on Dec. 22, a ribbon cutting marked the official re-opening of the building. “Adding a new HVAC system, brand-new acoustic ceiling panels and lighting fixtures will ensure a building that is more than 50 years old can operate more efficiently and continue to be a valuable Photo courtesy of Councilman Donovan Richards resource for the Rosedale community for decades to come,” Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Dr. Feniosky Pena-Mora said.
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