You are reading

Council Members Williams and Lee Elected Co-Chairs of Queens Council Delegation

Council Member Nantasha Williams, who represents District 27 in southeast Queens (left), and Linda Lee, who represents District 23 in eastern Queens (NYC Council)

Feb. 8, 2022 By Allie Griffin

Council Members Nantasha Williams and Linda Lee will be leading the Queens Council Delegation.

Williams and Lee were elected co-chairs of the delegation by their Queens council colleagues Friday.

As co-chairs, Williams and Lee will advocate for funding for Queens during the council’s discretionary budget negotiations. They will serve as the unified voice for the 14-member Queens delegation in the negotiations with the speaker and mayor.

The Queens delegation, under their leadership, is also tasked with how additional borough-wide funds are distributed.

Williams and Lee are the first pair to co-chair the delegation. Queens council members have historically elected just one chair, while Brooklyn and Manhattan council members have long elected two co-chairs for their respective delegations

The pair said they were honored to serve alongside one another on behalf of Queens.

They will succeed former Council Member Karen Koslowitz, who chaired the delegation from 2015 to 2021. Prior chairs include Mark Weprin and Leroy Comrie.

The Queens delegation, under Koslowitz, secured more than $20 million in discretionary funds in Fiscal Year 2022. The money funded various capital projects across the borough.

Williams, who represents District 27 in southeast Queens, said she will ensure that all districts across Queens get their fair share of funding in her new role.

“I believe in an equitable distribution of funds for all districts and finding common ground within the delegation while respecting our differences and respective decisions,” she said in a statement.

Likewise, Lee said she is dedicated to leading with equity and collaboration in mind.

“Throughout the borough we have so many different communities, priorities, and needs, yet we recognize that we can only achieve these things by working together,” Lee, of District 23 in eastern Queens, said in a statement. “As Co-Chair of this delegation, I promise to lead with fairness, open-mindedness, and equity for all, and will cherish the trust placed in me by my colleagues.”

Queens may well benefit in budget negotiations from Council Speaker Adrienne Adams also being a borough representative.

email the author: [email protected]
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

FDNY rescues woman and her dogs from Jamaica house fire believed to be sparked by exploding e-bike battery

Firefighters rescued a woman and several of her dogs from a house fire in Jamaica Monday afternoon and, once again, an exploding lithium-ion battery on an e-bike is suspected of sparking the blaze, according to FDNY.

The fire broke out in the cellar of the two-story home at 111-12 153 Rd. at around 3:38 p.m. on March 20 and rapidly spread throughout the two-story residence just east of Sutphin Boulevard.

Removing abandoned vessels from Jamaica Bay will be expedited under legislation passed by City Council

Mar. 17, 2023 By Bill Parry

The City Council voted unanimously to approve legislation sponsored by Councilwomen Joann Arola and Selvena Brooks-Powers to amend the city charter to create a marine debris disposal and vessel surrendering office. This will make it easier to clear the city’s shores of derelict boats often abandoned in the outer boroughs, and environmental justice communities like Jamaica Bay, Coney Island, the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull.