In an effort to reintroduce herself to Queens, former Councilmember and Assemblymember Melinda Katz has been making her way around, preparing to run for the borough president nomination in a crowded Democratic primary field.
“We’ve been to the civics and the precincts and community boards,” Katz told The Courier at the December Community Board 9 meeting. “I’m not trying to go to every community board, I’m trying to go to every community.”
Katz served in the Assembly from 1994 to 1999. From there, she oversaw all the community boards in Queens when she worked under former Borough President Claire Schulman for three years. Going back to the community boards nearly 20 years later, Katz has run into some familiar faces and reminiscing on some of the work done for the borough during that time.
“It’s nice to see that when you leave elected office and come back that people welcome you,” she said.
Katz left politics in 2009 after she was term limited out of City Hall. She subsequently lost a bid for City Comptroller to incumbent and fellow Queens native John Liu. Between leaving office and announcing her candidacy in November, she worked for Manhattan law firm Greenberg Trautig, where she specialized in government issues and land use.
