Claire Shulman Way (Queens)
Present name:None
Location:At the intersection of Cryders Lane and 162nd Street
Honoree: Claire Shulman (1926-2020) was the Queens Borough President from 1986 to 2002, the first woman to hold the position. Born in Brooklyn, she graduated from Adelphi University and was a registered nurse before holding elected office. She first became involved in community life when she joined the Bayside Mother's Club in 1955. Active in Queens community affairs, she was appointed to a community board in 1966, eventually becoming its chairwomen. In 1972 she became Queens borough president Donald Manes' director of community boards and in 1982 became his deputy. She took office initially as acting Borough President on February 11, 1986, after Manes resigned. She was elected Borough President by a unanimous vote of the nine New York City Council members from Queens on March 12. She was then elected by popular vote to the remaining three years of Manes' term and to full four-year terms in 1989, 1993, and 1997. She was unable to run for re-election in 2001 because of term limits, and was succeeded by Helen Marshall on January 3, 2002. A Borough President’s most influential role in those years was as a member of the Board of Estimate, which — until it was abolished in a municipal reorganization in 1989 — was one of the city’s two top policymaking bodies, along with the City Council. The board, comprising the mayor, the council president, the city comptroller and the five borough presidents, shared with the Council the authority to approve the city’s budget, and it had the final say over matters like zoning and land use. She was noted for her passionate advocacy on issues including economic development, airport disputes, and the environment. For instance, she secured funding for the construction of Queens Hospital Center, as well as for 30,000 more school seats for students. As Borough President, she had been a champion of Queens cultural institutions, including the Queens Museum of Art, the Museum of the Moving Image and Flushing Town Hall. She served as a member of the boards of directors of New York Hospital Queens and St. Mary's Healthcare System for Children. She died at 94 on August 16, 2020, at her home in Beechhurst, Queens. (Vallone)
LL:2022/54