COVER STORY: Donovan Richards Talks Recovery in Queens

COVER STORY RICHARDS AIMS TO REBUILD A STRONGER QUEENS

DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR BP TALKS ECONOMY, PUBLIC SAFETY

BY BENJAMIN FANG

As the Democratic nominee for Queens borough president, Donovan Richards emerged victorious from a field of five candidates after a hard-fought primary.

Although he said he’s excited about moving ahead to the general election in November, the southeast Queens councilman is already looking forward to tackling the challenges facing Queens, from the coronavirus pandemic to the economic downturn.

“There’s a lot of work to be done,” he said. “Our borough is facing immense challenges pertaining to COVID and the underlying disparities that have existed for a long time, that have shown their ugly heads.”

His first priority is to “stop the bleeding.” Richards pointed out that the city is not out of the woods yet on COVID-19. He wants to ensure hospitals have the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and resources in case of another surge in infections.

The resulting economic crisis has resulted in rising food insecurity. Richards said with unemployment rising and small businesses struggling, he wants the city to focus on pockets of the borough where people are choosing between a meal and paying rent.

The Democratic nominee also anticipates a surge in homelessness, highlighting the need for affordable housing even more.

“Anything we can do to strengthen the food network is an immediate priority,” he said.

In terms of the economy, Richards predicted that it won’t pick up for another three to four years until the city returns to some sense of normalcy. He’s already seeing more “For Rent” signs in major commercial corridors.

What doesn’t help the borough’s recovery, he said, is only getting 9 percent of the city’s loans and grants, which he said is unacceptable. At Borough Hall, his job will be steering the proper city agencies to the table and making the case for greater resources for Queens.

“We have to fight for it,” he said. “We’re fighting for the soul of our borough.”

But while he’s still in the City Council, Richards has introduced legislation mandating the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) to report on where their loans and grants are going.

“That transparency will aid us in the argument of saying the city needs to do better,” he added.

Richards wants to see an expansion of programs like Chamber on the Go, which provides a neighborhood connection from SBS directly to small businesses. He also believes the city should be putting more money into grants instead of loans.

“SBS needs to feel like a permanent footprint in this borough,” he said, “working with businesses, even around regulations with COVID.”

With developments happening all across the borough, from Astoria and Long Island City to Willets Points and the Rockaways, as well as the redevelopment of both airports, Richards said there are many opportunities to leverage publicprivate partnerships to assist small businesses.

“We have so much to offer, the most exciting development projects are here,” he said. “Don’t shortchange us.”

A successful recovery will also depend on stimulus dollars from the federal government. The councilman said the city needs its congressional representatives, especially in the Senate, to deliver. He hopes the next stimulus package will include dollars for state and local governments to reduce the budget gap.

On a more personal level, Richards urged Queens residents to

Former borough president Claire Shulman was an early supporter of Councilman Donovan Richards, endorsing him for her former post last October in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

shop at their local businesses. Despite the rise of online shopping and a shift in consumer behavior, he said locals should get back into the habit of frequenting neighborhood institutions.

While risks with the virus still exist, he believes it’s possible to balance business interests with safety. After all, he said, small businesses are the “lifeblood of our neighborhoods.”

“We want to be healthy and have a healthy economy,” Richards said. “We shouldn’t have to choose.”

Particularly instructive when it comes to recovery is his experience helping the Rockaways recover after Superstorm Sandy.

Richards recalled getting all of the borough’s business development organizations together and urging them to work in unity. Similarly, he wants business improvement districts, chambers of commerce and other groups to come up with a comprehensive plan with recommendations, goals and objectives. They will then work with the city to execute the plan.

As the former chair of the City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning, Richards was also at the table for rezonings of many areas, including his own district in Far Rockaway.

He said he leveraged publicprivate partnerships with develop

ers to build a community center, commercial development, housing, retail, a school and a library. The project included millions of dollars for park space and two new plazas.

“These are the things we’re looking for when you come to sit down with us,” he said.

In other parts of Queens where poverty is entrenched, Richards said they will seek expanded job opportunities and mandate developers to provide monthly job reports.

The councilman acknowledged that land use is a powerful tool, but the goal isn’t just to build, but rather to have “community development.” If elected borough president, Richards said he would set up a zoning task force to identify opportunities as a borough and go to City Hall with those ideas, instead of the other way around.

“We have to be able to sit at the table, figure out a plan and push as hard as we can to leverage these opportunities,” he said. “When we do that, we build a strong Queens.”

As the current chair of the Committee on Public Safety, Richards will also focus his attention on how to keep the borough safe while reforming the NYPD.

He said he wasn’t shocked to see an uptick in shootings due to the “perfect storm” created by rising unemployment, people cooped up in their homes for months and the cutting of youth programs.

Richards, who has sat down with the NYPD as an elected official, said the community can support the police while also demanding change.

“The NYPD has to hold those who don’t do courtesy, professionalism and respect accountable,” he said. “How do we reimagine policing in the 21st century?”

The councilman is advocating for more gun buybacks, more programs for youth and a pipeline of employment, especially for those who have had previous involvement with the criminal justice system.

He also supports expanding the Cure Violence programs in Queens to prevent shootings from happening in the first place.

COVER STORY

“At Borough Hall, public safety will be at the top of my list,” he said. “I want to see us at the table with every commander, with stakeholders.

“We should set a goal to reduce shootings,” Richards added. “We want to make this the safest borough in the city of New York.”

In the recent city budget, which Richards voted against, the mayor moved money from creating a new 116th Precinct in southeast Queens in favor of a new community center. Richards said he wanted the mayor to fund both.

He sees the youth center as prevention to keep young people off the streets and a place that can offer after-school programs and tutoring.

But he also believes residents deserve services. The 105th Precinct, he noted, has the longest police response times in the city and covers the largest geographical area of all precincts.

Like many issues, Richards said the community shouldn’t have to choose one or the other.

“This was a missed opportunity,” he said. “We deserve the services.”

As for his vote on the budget, Richards said it did not make sense to hire a new police class while cutting programs like the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), which he called counterproductive.

He said every city agency had to make cuts, but the NYPD wasn’t even initially asked to make a 1 percent cut, which he said was “ridiculous.”

“There does need to be a culture shift in the NYPD in some areas,” he said. “There are some things that build mistrust with the community and makes the city less safe.

“We have never said we don’t want police, we want good police officers,” he added. “There’s no contradiction in that.”

Just like after the devastation from Superstorm Sandy, Queens will have to “swim through this tough time,” but has shown the will to bounce back, Richards said.

“Queens, I believe, will lead the way into the future,” he said.

Councilman Donovan Richards (center) helps break ground on a new park in the Rockaways last October.

“Queens is going to be the template of where this country needs to go as we rebuild our economy and celebrate our differences.”

The Democratic nominee for borough president wants to replicate what he’s done in his district as a councilman and move Queens forward.

“We’ll be Queens strong,” he said. “We’ll get through this together.”

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