FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com THE COURIER SUN • JANUARY 12, 2017 19 PERSON OF THE YEAR 2016 Queens County Clerk Audrey Pheffer, seeking fair justice for everyone BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@qns.com @A_GiudiceReport In a year filled with almost too many high-profile 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 Pheffer 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. Pheffer 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 Pheffer became interested in community activism. A LIFE OF SERVICE Her first foray into community activism was when she got involved with the Association for the Help of Retarded Children. “That 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,” Pheffer 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 fight for things that you’re really interested in.” Through her advocacy, Pheffer began her political career, working with several elected officials over the years, including then-state Senator Jeremy Weinstein, who has since risen to administrative judge of the Supreme Court in Queens County (Civil) in 2007. In 1987, Pheffer 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 after Pheffer resigned the post to become Queens County Clerk. “It was quite daunting to fill 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 different issues like fighting to get rid of the toll on the Crossbay Bridge. This 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 Pheffer will be looking to fill his shoes in the 23rd District. Pheffer’s daughter, Stacey Pheffer 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 office, 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.” Pheffer-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 SEE PERSON OF THE YEAR | PAGE 20
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