A Tribute to Two Great Public Servants

A Tribute to Two Great Public Servants

About 2 weeks ago, I called Claire Shulman, the former Queens Borough President whom I had worked for early in my career. We talked about work, the elections, our respective families. At 94, Claire was still active in civic life.

One of Claire's close friends and colleagues was former Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn. Nettie passed away last week at 96; Claire passed away yesterday.

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Nettie was a kind, grandmother-like figure: short and thin, loving and caring; but don't pick a fight with her. She was ferocious when she believed in something and would take on major advocacy groups and even the powerful Mario Cuomo when it came to protecting the vulnerable (and she won). She was a tireless public servant and a mentor to many people who went on to careers serving the public. I worked closely with Nettie on state legislation and she offered her Albany office to me whenever I was in town. She and her staff helped me navigate the labyrinth of the State capitol on countless occasions. I knew her through her deep friendship with the elected official I worked for at the time: Claire Shulman.

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I worked as Claire's Deputy Counsel for 9 years (that is a young me back in 1999 with her). She was the matriarch of the office and we were all her family. She was a nurse and her husband, children and at least one grandchild all became doctors (one was also an astronaut who flew several space shuttle missions). Claire became Borough President at a low point in NYC politics, with the suicide of Donald Manes who was embroiled in a corruption scandal, righting the ship of state. I cannot possibly list all of her accomplishments. The restoration of film and TV production at the Astoria and Silvercup studios, creating and expanding many cultural institutions, including The Queens Museum, Hall of Science, Flushing Town Hall, Queens Theatre in the Park, Queens Zoo, the Flushing Meadow Park Aquatic Center, USTA National Tennis Center, Museum of the Moving Image, Queens Botanical Garden, Jamaica Center of Arts and Learning, Louis Armstrong House, and the Thalia Spanish Theatre. Spearheading development all over the borough: downtown Flushing, Jamaica, Willets Point, Queens West, the Fort Totten Park, the new Queens Hospital Center, new terminals at JFK Airport, the AirTrain link to JFK and new Jamaica Station for LIRR, thousands of new seats in public schools, the New York Times printing plant, Arverne by the Sea, and new Civil, Criminal and Family Courthouses. She helped create the first gay senior center in Queens; saved the homes of tens of thousands of families during the co-op and condo crisis of the late 1980s; brought the FDA regional laboratory to York College, and funded countless local parks, playgrounds, and libraries. I could go on and on. I was privileged to work on many of these projects and more. Her staff was top notch and diverse, and many moved on to hold elected office and serve as community leaders and public servants in not-for-profits, education, economic development and other fields. She always said the best politics was good government, and she delivered every day. One friend reminded me today that when Charter revision got rid of the Board of Estimate, it was unclear what kind of power borough presidents could really have. She showed that the job could really matter if you put service ahead of power broker politics.

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Claire and Nettie both left a legacy of passionate caring for the people they served, especially the most vulnerable. I can only hope that that sense of civic duty and caring for constituents will somehow permeate into our government as we move into the next election.

May their memories be for a blessing.

Ralph Tragale

Aviation/airport executive and consultant

4y

Two professionals. Very few elected officials with their skills and morals out there today. God Bless them both.

Marilyn Wolff Diamond

Health Strategy, Quality and Innovation

4y

Lovely article! I thought of you when I heard of Claire Shulman's passing.

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