Jamaican-American City Councilman, Leroy Comrie, a former candidate for the post of borough president, was this week named as the deputy to his old rival and incoming Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.
Katz, 48, will replace Borough President Helen Marshall, whose rooted extended to Guyana and is stepping down due to term limits. Now the office will have another Caribbean American at Queens Borough Hall on Jan. 1.
“I’m thrilled to assist her administration and work tirelessly over the coming weeks to ensure Queens residents are represented by the best possible team in Borough Hall,” Comrie said.
“This campaign was about empowering working families and making life better for every Queens resident,” Katz added. “In order to make that vision a reality, Borough Hall needs the best public servants from across our city, and I’m confident we can find them.”
Katz defeated City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. in the Democratic primary and Republican Tony Arcabascio in the general election.
Comrie now represents the New York City Council District 27, which comprises St. Albans, Cambria Heights, Jamaica, Hollis, Rosedale, and other neighborhoods within the borough of Queens.
A former Chief of Staff to former City Councilman Archie Spigner – whom he succeeded in office seven years ago, Council Member Leroy Comrie was elected to represent the 27th District in January 2002. He appeared on The Daily Show, promoting a ban on the word “Nigger.”
Comrie chairs the Consumer Affairs Committee in the New York City Council and has also served as Majority Whip for his Democratic colleagues on the Council, as well as head of the Queens delegation.
In the past he was a member and president of Community School Board 29.
Comrie grew up in Queens, NY and attended PS 116Q, IS 8, Jamaica High School and the University of Bridgeport, CT. He is married to Marcia Moxam Comrie and they are the parents of two teen-aged children.
The borough of Queens, New York, home to tens of thousands of Caribbean immigrants.
