Melinda Katz
As a former assembly and councilwoman, Melinda Katz is no stranger to the Queens’ political landscape, and after a failed attempt for the City Comptroller position in 2009, the Forrest Hills native is ready to surface again.
“It just makes sense,” said Katz of her intentions to run for the Borough President position in 2013, which will be vacated by current Borough President, Helen Marshall due to term limits.
Katz, who recently began assembling a campaign team, including well-known, political consultant, George Arzt, says she will begin fundraising within the next week.
The 46-year-old joins a slew of likely potential but unconfirmed Democratic candidates, including Councilmen Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) and Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria), and state Senator Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst).
“They are all good candidates. But it is about what I have to offer for the borough – my experience. I’ll be able to fight for resources for the borough,” said Katz, who admitted she had been contemplating the run for office for a while.
“If there didn’t seem to be interest throughout the borough, I wouldn’t have announced my candidacy,” she added.
Katz’s reputation in Queens cannot only be traced back to her five years spent on the state Senate and nine on City Council, but also to her family’s legacy. Her father founded the Queens Symphony Orchestra, and her mother established the Queens Council on the Arts.
The politically-minded mother of two is also raising her children in the borough’s traditions in the house she grew up in, located in Forest Hills.
“It’s a Queens-based family with a Queens-based life, said Katz. “This gives me the chance to run a borough that I love and that my parents refused to leave.”
The Borough President hopeful says she will definitely draw her on this deep-rooted, area expertise to tackle pressing issues if elected.
“Economic development, education, and affordable housing. These projects are not always self evident so we need someone with experience to get the message out and be an effective leader,” said Katz.
By Katie Riordan
