THIS IS QUEENSBOROUGH
queenschamber.org
COVER STORY FORMER QUEENS BOROUGH PRESIDENTS PASSES AT 94 CLAIRE SHULMAN WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO HOLD THE POST BY SARA KREVOY Claire Shulman, who became the first woman to hold the office of Queens borough president in 1986 following a corruption scandal concerning her predecessor, died on August 16 while at her home in Beechurst. She was 94 years old. A longtime friend of Shulman’s told the New York Times the cause of her passing was lung cancer. Shulman, a survivor of breast cancer, was also battling pancreatic cancer at the time of her death. Born Claire Kantoff on February 23, 1926, in Brooklyn, Shulman was a graduate of Adelphi University and a registered nurse before beginning a career in politics. After becoming active with the Bayside Mother’s Club, she first ventured into public service in the 1960s, serving on the neighborhood’s community board, of which she was eventually appointed chairwoman. Over the years, Shulman worked her way up to director of community boards under former Queens Borough President Donald Manes, and subsequently became his deputy in 1980. Manes, who later committed suicide, was implicated in one of the biggest municipal corruption rings in New York City, soliciting bribes in exchange for influence over contracts at the Parking Violations Bureau. When he resigned in February 1986, Shulman was chosen to finish out the year as interim borough president by a unanimous vote of the City Council’s Queens members. She then proceeded to win both the primary and general election to finish out the remaining three years of Manes’ term. Shulman achieved victory in three more
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popular votes, leading the “World’s Borough” for 16 years. As Queens borough president, Shulman was known for her passionate advocacy
for issues including economic development, airport disputes and the environment, as well as for championing the borough’s cultural institutions. Throughout her tenure, she secured funding for construction on Queens Hospital Center, in addition to creating 30,000 school seats for Queens students. In 1987, Shulman notably mediated a compromise while sitting as a member on the Board of Estimate – which was abolished by the city two years later - when it voted to adopt a rezoning proposal that would spur the construction of middleincome apartments across the five boroughs. Advocating for her constituent neighborhoods comprised mostly of single-family detached homes, Shulman was able to reach a negotiation that exempted a dozen neighborhoods in Queens that opposed the development plans. Even in the last year of her tenure as borough president, Shulman fought back against a proposal
to build an Olympic Village on land that had been allocated for permanent housing and updating the lakes in Flushing MeadowsCorona Park. Shulman may have been the first female Queens borough president, but she set the tone of the office for the nearly two decades following her departure. She was succeeded by the late Helen Marshall, and next by now-Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Upon ending her career in politics, Shulman continued to be active in Queens affairs. She established the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corporation, aimed at revitalizing neighborhoods in northern Queens, and acted as its president and CEO. Shulman also served on the board of directors of both New York Hospital Queens and St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children. She also helped the Queens Zoo obtain its first bald eagle. In return, the
zoo named its current bald eagles after Shulman and her husband. Most recently, Shulman influenced this year’s race for her former office, endorsing Councilman Donovan Richards in a special election for Queens borough presi-
dent. Richards later won the Democratic nomination. “I lost a good friend last night,” Richards tweeted the morning after Shulman’s passing. “Queens lost a true gem last night. Claire Shulman was one of a kind. Her commitment to building institutions and fostering opportunities for people from all walks of life in Queens can’t be overstated.” Shulman’s is survived by her sister Ruth; daughter Ellen Shulman Baker, a physician and retired astronaut who was a veteran of three Space Shuttle flights; son Lawrence, an oncologist and chief medical officer at Boston’s Dana– Farber Cancer Institute; five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Her husband, Dr. Melvin Shulman, a psychiatrist whom she met while working at Queens Hospital Center as a nurse, died in 2015. Their adopted son Kim, a film and television director, died in 2001 of a cerebral hemorrhage. In a statement, Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee referred to Shulman as “larger than life.” “She did not waste time, and lived every single minute fully and with purpose,” said Lee. “In a borough known for its trailblazers, few have led a life of dedicated public service as robust and as effective as Claire Shulman. She transformed the landscape of the city’s largest borough, and so much of what we see and enjoy today are the results of her extraordinary vision and decisions made over 18 years ago. “No one loved Queens more than Claire Shulman,” she went on, “and in turn, she was widely respected and deeply loved.” ALL PHOTOS: MICHAEL O’KANE
