Photo Courtesy of Clark Jones
“From the ashes, Queens is rising faster and flying higher than anyone thought was possible just a few years ago,” Borough President Richards said.
By Forum Staff
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr. delivered his 2022 State of the Borough Address on Friday, highlighting his accomplishments during his first 19 months in office and his plans for building an even better and fairer Queens as the borough emerges from the damage wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Delivered at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center within LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Richards’ State of the Borough address highlighted his administration’s investments made in health care, public safety, economic development, civic engagement, affordable housing, sustainability and transportation over the past 19 months. The borough president also outlined a wide array of critical initiatives his office is launching in the coming weeks and months to build a stronger, fairer Queens rooted in equity and inclusivity.
“From the ashes, Queens is rising faster and flying higher than anyone thought was possible just a few years ago,” Richards said. “Because that is what Queens does — Queens leads. Queens takes a back seat to no one. From Flushing to Forest Hills, Jamaica to Jackson Heights, Ridgewood to Rockaway, Corona to College Point and Queensbridge to Queens Village, we’re building a stronger, fairer Queens for all our families. And there is no limit to what we can achieve if we work together.”
Some of the major initiatives and announcements unveiled by Richards include:
- “Queens Forward”: A holistic, wide-ranging collection of capital investments to be made across Queens in partnership with Gov. Kathy Hochul.
- “Borough Hall on Your Block”: The week-long relocation of the Queens Borough President’s Office, along with all the programs and services it offers, to different regions of the borough to focus on the unique needs of families in those specific neighborhoods.
- A commitment from NYC Health + Hospitals to establish a NYC Health + Hospitals Gotham Health facility in Far Rockaway to address longstanding health care inequities on the peninsula.
- The establishment of a Hate Crimes Task Force, featuring law enforcement, anti-hate activists and community leaders to develop inclusive solutions to the recent rise in bias crimes.
- A plan to host a Queens Tech Fair and a Queens Tech Challenge to ensure Queens is a global leader in the emerging technology industry, while addressing inequities in current tech industry employment opportunities.
- A call on NYC Small Business Services to create a Veteran-Owned Business Certification program to create further economic and contracting opportunities for our veteran entrepreneurs.
