Senator Leroy Comrie has dedicated his life to public service and improving Queens in all aspects. Like other politicians, he had to fight with competitors, slander and other difficulties. Still, Comrie never forgot about the main mission and faithfully served the voters. His office helped residents to connect with public resources, interact with the government and meet their needs. They were related to various spheres of life – from quality education and health care to sustainable economic development, environmental justice, etc. Read more about the life path and main achievements of the politician on queensyes.com.
Early years
Leroy Comrie was born on August 10, 1958 in Queens to Jamaican immigrants. He received his education at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. There, he developed his interest in politics. Before becoming an official, he was the president of the Queens School Board.
Member of the New York City Council
Comrie was elected to represent the 27th District on the New York City Council from 2002 to 2013. He had access to discretionary funding. This is a method of selecting applications based on the evaluation of a reviewer or a group of reviewers. Comrie and the team used those public funds to help local organizations throughout Southeast Queens. At the beginning of his political career, the man earned his main living as a photographer at weddings and public events.
Comrie also had access to financing for major construction projects. He helped increase investment in the Queens Public Library system. Thanks to him, the city allocated tens of millions of dollars annually to book collections. As the chairman of the Consumer Protection Committee, the politician tried to solve the problem of childhood obesity in 2011. He was in favor of banning the distribution of free toys to children in fast food establishments with unhealthy food. Although it never happened, Comrie influenced McDonald’s and other businesses in southern and eastern Queens and they added healthy food to the menu.
During 12 years in the city council, he held the position of not only the deputy majority leader but also the chair of the Queens delegation, chair of the Consumer Protection and Land-Use Committees, etc. In these positions, he had direct access to the city’s budget process.
State legislator
After an unsuccessful run for president of Queens in 2013, Comrie decided to focus on the legislature. Two years later, he officially assumed the position of senator of the state of New York. He represents the 14th District, which covers the borough of Queens. By the way, the Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature. The lower house is the Assembly. Senators are elected for 2 years. They have no limits on the number of terms of service. The number of seats in the Senate is not permanent and is governed by the state Constitution. Senators sit in the Capitol.
The politician is the chairman of the Committee on Corporations, as well as many other government agencies and commissions, which obliges him to oversee more than 150 state agencies. According to the legislator, the government should respond to the needs of all people. His office is a conduit for access to quality education, healthcare and senior services.
In 2019, he was appointed to the Government Oversight Council. This is a supervisory institution that checks the soundness of the financial plans of the largest authorities in the state of New York and approves project estimates.
In the 2021-2022 term, the senator focused on agriculture, cities, finance, procurement, contracts and regulations. He has developed numerous programs and resources for youth, found ways to grow small businesses, strengthened public safety measures, promoted smart sustainable economic development and more.
The legislator used his decades of experience in the city of Albany, New York, to improve the lives of the Queens community. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, he has used the assets of his office to ensure that residents have easy access to food, testing, cardiovascular care, vaccines and other critical resources.
The politician led a group opposing the construction of a state juvenile prison on the site of a shuttered elementary school. In addition, he fought the construction of a multi-storey religious dormitory on a controversial site.
Among the main achievements of the senator:
- increase in tax benefits for the elderly
- introduction of the city’s first property foreclosure prevention program
- reduction of payday loans
- improvement of safety criteria at construction sites
- reduction of harmful emissions from trucks
- improvement of electrical and building codes
- protection of waste transfer stations
- the fight for property tax reform and foreclosures
- increasing employment opportunities by creating on-the-job training programs.