August 29, 2013
By Neal Tepel, Publisher
New York, NY – With the enthusiastic backing of a plethora of organized labor groups ranging from the United Auto Workers and 32BJ, to Bricklayers Local 1 and the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, it's easy to see that in her run to become Queens County's next borough president, Melinda Katz has stuck a chord with working men and women.
With the Bloomberg administration secretly and unscrupulously trying to shut down two of the city's last three remaining public immunization clinics, Katz – the former Queens assemblywoman and councilwoman is pushing to make primary care and urgent care centers more available to residents of the borough.
That's important, because it shows that Katz intends to rise above the limitations of the Office of Borough President, and become more than just a cheerleader for Queens County.
New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO President Vincent Alvarez recently called Katz the obvious pick in the upcoming Queens Borough President race.
"Melinda Katz has a proven record of fighting for the needs of hardworking Queens residents," Alvarez said. "Her commitments to improving the physical health of residents and the economic health of their communities solidify Melinda Katz as the commonsense choice to represent the neighborhoods in our city's most diverse borough."
The 200,000-member 1199 SEIU, representing the city's dedicated and diligent healthcare workforce, agrees, and is among the growing list of 20-plus labor organizations supporting the born-and-bred Forrest Hills resident and her run to succeed Helen Marshall as Queens Borough President.
A product of the public school system, the civic-minded Katz went on to graduate summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and earned a juris doctorate from St John's School of law.
Katz previously worked in the Office of Queens Borough President Claire Shulman as Director of Community Boards, and because of her continuing commitment to the lives of everyday residents, deserves a return to Queens Borough Hall. But this time, in the main chair.
Melinda Katz is our choice for Queens Borough President.
