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Donovan Richards to Take Over as Queens Borough President Wednesday

Council Member Donovan Richards and Acting Borough President Sharon Lee (NYC Council – William Alatriste/ Office Queens Borough President)


Dec. 1, 2020 By Allie Griffin

Council Member Donovan Richards will assume the role of Queens Borough President Wednesday, taking the reins from Acting BP Sharon Lee.

Richards will vacate his seat on the City Council tomorrow and take over as Borough President. He can officially take office Wednesday since the NYC Board of Elections certified the November election results today — making his win official.

Richards will fill the seat held by Lee since Jan. 1. Lee was appointed by former Queens Borough President Melinda Katz when Katz left office to become Queens District Attorney.

Lee was expected to serve until March, at which time a successor would be determined via a special election. The special election, however, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement Tuesday, Lee said she was honored to have served as Queens Borough President, but her job is now done.

“Despite staying on much longer than expected, my commitment to serve the people of Queens as necessary is now fulfilled,” she said. “We have worked together toward a seamless transition, and the Borough of Families is now in great hands with incoming Borough President Donovan Richards.”

In turn, Richards thanked Lee for the work she had done as interim head.

“Over the last few months, Acting Borough President Sharon Lee has taken on the challenges of this pandemic head on and led Queens with grace through this difficult time,” Richards said in a statement.

“Since the election, she has worked hard to ensure a smooth transition and ensure that the Office of Borough President continues to deliver for Queens residents.”

Richards, who announced his transition team Monday, is expected to be officially sworn into office at a ceremony this weekend.

“I look forward to building on the foundation [Lee] has built to fight food insecurity and ensure that our institutions and residents have access to PPE,” Richards said. “I thank her again for the great work she has done over the last few months and wish her continued success in the future.”

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