Her love for Queens landed her a seat in City Hall — and she’s only 11.
Katiya Jones of Little Neck became councilmember for a day after beating about 500 youngsters in an annual essay contest hosted by Councilmember Mark Weprin.
“Before I went, I thought it would be boring,” she said, “but I was proved wrong. It was a lot of fun.”
The fifth grader at P.S. 26 blew judges away with her “articulate and upbeat” essay, Weprin’s office said.
She listed her favorite locations in the borough, including the Marie Rose International Doll Museum in St. Albans and the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, peppering the essay with historical facts.
The paper also gave judges a sneak peek into Katiya’s artistic life of dance, performance and altruism. She said she helps feed the homeless at the Afrikan Poetry Theater in Jamaica during the holidays.
“Queens has many activities that I participate in,” Katiya wrote. “In the summer, I play tennis with the New York Junior Tennis League, as well as attend the YMCA day camp where I swim and take martial arts. I ride my bike in Cunningham Park and visited Rufus King Park.”
Katiya took a private tour of City Hall, attended a press conference and mock voted on real legislation in council chambers on May 22.
“It’s very busy,” she said. “You’re going all over the place. You have a lot of meetings and places you have to be.”
Still, she said the legislator’s life is not for her.
“I want to be a pediatrician, an actress, a dancer, a singer and a billionaire,” Katiya said.
She might not be so far from realizing her lofty dreams.
Katiya appeared in a “Saturday Night Live” skit in November 2010 and has landed television and radio commercials since she was six.
“She doesn’t have a shy bone in her body,” said her mother, Karyl Jones.
Once Katiya entered council chambers, she immediately took on the role of lawmaker, Karyl said.
“She was sitting there like she knew what she was doing, looking at the agenda and looking all serious,” she added. “We got a lot of out of it.”
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