Claire Shulman

Former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman died Sunday, Aug. 16 2020, according to her family. Shulman, 94, had been battling lung cancer and pancreatic cancer. She passed away in her home, surrounded by her children, Ellen Baker, and Larry and Linda Shulman. Shulman was the first woman to be elected as Queens borough president, a position she held for 16 years, from 1986 until 2002, when she was term-limited. During that time, dozens of neighborhoods were rezoned, generating development which led to the economic revitalization of downtown Jamaica, Flushing and Long Island City. Shulman’s public service began in 1955 with the Bayside Mother’s Club, the forerunner of the PTA. Shulman has remained active in politics, having endorsed Donovan Richards in the 2020 race for Queens borough president, and also served as president and CEO of the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corporation.