Political leader Dora Young dies

Esteemed Queens political leader, the Honorable Dora Young, passed away on the morning of August 20 after an extended illness.
Young was a former Queens deputy city clerk for the borough’s marriage bureau and was the female leader of Assembly District 29. Her colleague and fellow District 29 leader, Archie Spigner, knew Young for almost 40 years.
“She was a friend to many and she’ll be missed,” he said
Spigner, former City Council deputy majority leader, recalled that he and Young became political mainstays in Queens – taking part in campaigns to elect the first black councilmember, state senator, congressmember and Queens borough president.
“She came along when there were still a lot of firsts to be achieved,” he said. “When there were still a lot of challenges.”
Young maintained her influence in the borough’s political scene and was vice chair of the Queens Democratic Party. She was also involved in the Queens Women Political Caucus and the Jamaica branch of the NAACP. She was also an executive member of the Guy R. Brewer United Democratic Club.
The district leader had an incredible impact on the budding careers of many black Queens politicians, including Councilmember Leroy Comrie and State Senator Malcolm Smith, Spigner said.
“This is a tremendous loss for the entire southeast Queens family and for our city. As a district leader and former Queens deputy city clerk, Young was a positive influence on numerous people at every level of government and she was instrumental in launching hundreds of careers in public service, including, of course, mine.” Comrie said in a statement.
A viewing will be held at J. Foster Phillips Funeral Home in St. Albans on August 25 from 4 to 8 p.m. Funeral services for Young will be held at St. Benedict the Moor in Jamaica on August 26 at 11 a.m.