Queens - Government

Government

Since New York City's consolidation in 1898, Queens has been governed by the New York City Charter that provides for a strong mayor-council system. The centralized New York City government is responsible for public education, correctional institutions, libraries, public safety, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, and welfare services in Queens.

The office of Borough President was created in the consolidation of 1898 to balance centralization with local authority. Each borough president had a powerful administrative role derived from having a vote on the New York City Board of Estimate, which was responsible for creating and approving the city's budget and proposals for land use. In 1989 the Supreme Court of the United States declared the Board of Estimate unconstitutional because Brooklyn, the most populous borough, had no greater effective representation on the Board than Staten Island, the least populous borough, a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause following the high court's 1964 "one man, one vote" decision.

Since 1990 the Borough President has acted as an advocate for the borough at the mayoral agencies, the City Council, the New York state government, and corporations. Queens' Borough President is Helen Marshall, elected as a Democrat in 2001 and re-elected in 2005. Queens Borough Hall is the seat of government and is located in Kew Gardens.

The Democratic Party holds most public offices. Sixty-three percent of registered Queens voters are Democrats. Local party platforms center on affordable housing, education and economic development. Controversial political issues in Queens include development, noise, and the cost of housing.

There are currently four Democrats and one Republican representing Queens in the U.S. Congress:

• Gary Ackerman represents the fifth district, which includes Corona, Flushing, Jamaica Estates, Bayside, and Little Neck, as well as northwest Nassau County communities from Great Neck east to Roslyn. On March 15, 2012 Ackerman announced he will not seek re-election.
• Joseph Crowley represents Woodside, Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst and College Point in seventh district, as well as the east Bronx from Soundview to City Island, also serves as head of the Queens Democratic Party;
• Gregory Meeks represents areas in the sixth district including Jamaica, Hollis, St. Albans, Springfield Gardens, Laurelton, Queens Village and Far Rockaway – his is the only congressional district entirely within Queens County;
• Robert Turner is the representative of the ninth district, He replaced Anthony D. Weiner in a special election when he resigned. The Ninth District includes Forest Hills, Rego Park, Middle Village, Fresh Meadows, Woodhaven, Ozone Park, Howard Beach and Rockaway Beach, plus such southeast Brooklyn communities as Midwood, Manhattan Beach and Mill Island;
• Portions of Woodside, Maspeth, and Ridgewood are represented by Nydia Velazquez, whose largely Brooklyn-based district stretches from Red Hook to Bushwick and includes part of Manhattan's Lower East Side;
• Astoria and Long Island City are roughly geographically half and demographically a third of the 14th district of Carolyn Maloney, the rest of whose district extends across the east side of Manhattan from the East Village through Carnegie Hill.

Each of the city's five counties has its own criminal court system and District Attorney, the chief public prosecutor who is directly elected by popular vote. Richard A. Brown, a Democrat, has been the District Attorney of Queens County since 1991. Queens has 12 seats on the New York City Council, the second largest number among the five boroughs. It also has 14 administrative districts, each served by a local Community Board. Community Boards are representative bodies that field complaints and serve as advocates for local residents.

Although it is heavily Democratic, Queens is considered a swing county in New York politics. Republican political candidates who do well in Queens usually win citywide or statewide elections. Republicans such as former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and current Mayor Michael Bloomberg won majorities in Queens. Republican State Senator Serphin Maltese represented a district in central and southern Queens for twenty years until his defeat in 2008 by Democratic City Councilman Joseph Addabbo. In 2002, Queens voted against incumbent Republican Governor of New York George Pataki in favor of his Democratic opponent, Carl McCall by a slim margin.

Queens has not voted for a Republican candidate in a presidential election since 1972, when Queens voters chose Richard Nixon over George McGovern. Since the 1996 presidential election, Democratic presidential candidates have received over 70% of the popular vote in Queens.