Claire Shulman (née Kantoff; February 23, 1926 – August 16, 2020) was an American politician and registered nurse from New York City. She served as director of community boards and deputy president of Queens Borough, before becoming interim borough president in 1986 when her predecessor resigned due to scandal. Shulman proceeded to serve in the role full-time and won four elections between 1986 to 2002. She was the first woman to hold the position.
Claire Shulman | |
|---|---|
 Shulman in 2012 | |
| 17th Borough President of Queens | |
| In office February 11, 1986[1] – January 1, 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Donald Manes |
| Succeeded by | Helen M. Marshall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Claire Kantoff[2] February 23, 1926 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | August 16, 2020 (aged 94) Queens, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 3; including Ellen S. Baker |
| Residence(s) | Beechhurst, Queens, New York |
| Alma mater | Adelphi University |
| Occupation | Nurse, politician |
Life and career
Shulman was born in Brooklyn on February 23, 1926. She graduated from Adelphi University and was a registered nurse before getting into politics.[2] She met her future husband, Mel Shulman, a doctor, while both were working at Queens Hospital Center. She first became active in community life when she joined the Bayside Mother's Club in 1955.[3] She was active in Queens community affairs and was appointed to a community board in 1966. She became Queens borough president Donald Manes' director of community boards in 1972 and his deputy in 1980. She took office initially as acting Borough President on February 11, 1986 after the scandal-tarred Manes, who later committed suicide, resigned.[1] She was elected Borough President by a unanimous vote of the nine New York City Council members from Queens on March 12.[4] She was then elected by popular vote to the remaining three years of Manes' term later that year[5] and to four-year terms again in 1989,[6] 1993, and 1997. She was unable to run for re-election in 2001 because of term limits,[7] and was succeeded by Helen Marshall on January 3, 2002.[8]
Affiliations
Shulman served as a member of the boards of directors of New York Hospital Queens and St. Mary's Healthcare System for Children.[9] She also assisted the Queens Zoo in obtaining its first bald eagle. The zoo's current bald eagles, Mel and Claire II, are named after Shulman and her husband.[10]
Unlawful lobbying
As President and CEO of the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corporation, an entity that she established,[11] Shulman aggressively lobbied the New York City Council[12] during 2007-2008 to approve controversial legislation[13] intended to remove all of the existing private property owners and 250 industrial businesses from the neighborhood of Willets Point, Queens, for redevelopment.[14]
Shulman conducted the lobbying for more than one year without filing any of the required public disclosures, until finally investigated by the City Clerk’s Lobbying Bureau – which levied against Shulman’s LDC a penalty of $59,090.00, the then-record, highest New York City lobbyist penalty ever paid.[15]
Acting on a complaint by Willets Point property and business owners – that Shulman’s lobbying also contravened New York state Not-for-Profit Corporation Law § 1411, which prohibits all local development corporations from attempting to influence any legislation[16] – the New York State Office of the Attorney General, under then-AGs Andrew Cuomo and his successor, Eric Schneiderman, investigated Shulman’s lobbying campaign over a three-year period.[17] AG Schneiderman found that Shulman’s LDC indeed “flouted the law by lobbying elected officials, both directly and through third parties, to win approval of … favored projects”.[18] The result of the AG investigation "validates years of complaints from Willets Point business owners who charged the Flushing Willets Point Corona LDC and specifically its president, Claire Shulman, curried favor for a plan to take properties".[19]
Personal life
During the last years of her life, she and her husband, Melvin Shulman, lived in Beechhurst, Queens, New York. They had one daughter, Ellen S. Baker, an astronaut [20] and a veteran of three Space Shuttle voyages, including one that docked with the Russian space station Mir. Their son, Lawrence Shulman, a medical oncologist, is Chief Medical Officer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. Their adopted son, Kim Shulman, who worked as an assistant director on television series including Party of Five and films including Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, died from a cerebral hemorrhage on June 2, 2001.[21]
Health and death
Shulman survived breast cancer,[22] and lost both her breasts in separate mastectomies.[23] She died on August 16, 2020, at her home in Beechhurst, Queens.[2] She was 94, and suffered from lung cancer and pancreatic cancer in the time leading up to her death.[24][25] Before her death she endorsed Donovan Richards for the 2020 Queens Borough presidency.[3]
References
- ^ a b Oreskes, Michael (February 12, 1986). "Manes Resigns 2 Queens Posts, Citing 'Burden'". New York Times. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ a b c Fried, Joseph P. (August 17, 2020). "Claire Shulman, First Woman to Lead Queens, Dies at 94". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ a b "'She was a trailblazer': Queens mourns loss of former Borough President Claire Shulman". QNS.com. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ^ Lynn, Frank (March 13, 1986). "Shulman Elected to Succeed Manes". New York Times. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ James, George (November 5, 1986). "The Elections: A Challenge Is Rebuffed, a Comeback Fails; Shulman Victor in Queens Race For Manes Post". New York Times. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ Purdum, Todd S. (November 8, 1989). "The 1989 Elections: Board of Estimate — A Generation Of Ex-Critics Gains Power". New York Times. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ Bronck (March 4, 2017). "Former Queens Borough Preisdent Helen Marshall Passes At 87". The Bronx Daily. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ Gentilviso, Richard (February 27, 2002). "Schools, Budget Are Marshall's Primary Issues". Queens Gazette. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ "Claire Shulman Joins MMI Board Of Trustees". Queens Gazette. August 16, 2006. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ New York Zoos and Aquarium website Archived 2008-10-15 at archive.today
- ^ Rivera, Ray (2009-08-20). "New York Paid to Lobby Itself, Group Claims". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ^ "Shulman lobbying machine goes full-steam". Iron Triangle Tracker. 2008-10-01. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ^ "Showdown at Willets Point". Observer. 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ^ "Willets Point Redevelopment: Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement; Executive Summary" (PDF). New York City Economic Development Corporation. November 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Kemp, Joe. "Property owners ask federal prosecutors to probe Flushing Willets Point Corona Land Development Corp". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ^ "New York Consolidated Laws, Not-For-Profit Corporation Law - NPC § 1411". Findlaw. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ^ Saul, Michael Howard (2012-07-03). "City Agency Admits Illegal Lobby Effort". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ^ "A.G. Schneiderman Ends Illegal Lobbying Of NYC Officials By Three Local Development Corporations | New York State Attorney General". ag.ny.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ^ CHINESE, VERA. "City economic agencies admit to illegal lobbying in support of Willets Point plan". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ^ "A Vision for Education": Speech by New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, The Wharton Club, August 11, 1995
- ^ Scheinbart, Betsy; Warren, Jennifer (June 6, 2001). "Claire Shulman's son dies in California at age 45". QNS.com. TimesLedger Newspapers. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ Delatiner, Barbara (October 11, 1998). "The Guide". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ "Shulman To Receive Award From NYHQ". Queens Gazette. September 28, 2005. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ Chasan, Aliza (August 16, 2020). "Former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman dies". WPIX. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ Gewelb, Zach (August 16, 2020). "Claire Shulman, who served Queens as borough president for 16 years, dead at 94". AM New York Metro. Retrieved August 17, 2020.