Christine C. Quinn

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Christine Callaghan Quinn
Speaker of the New York City Council
Preceded by	Gifford Miller
Born	25 July 1966 (1966-07-25) (age 41) Glen Cove, New York
Political party	Democratic
Residence	New York City, United States

Christine Callaghan Quinn (b. 25 July 1966 in Glen Cove, New York) is a Democratic politician and the current Speaker of the New York City Council, which is considered the second most powerful position in city government after the Mayor. Quinn is the first woman and first openly gay person to be elected to this position.^[1] She has been rated one of the fifty most powerful women in New York City by the New York Post and one of the "Forty Under Forty" by Gotham Magazine.

Contents 1 Life and career 2 NY St. Patrick's Day Parade boycott 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Life and career

Quinn attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. She served as head of the Housing Justice Campaign for the Association of Neighborhood and Housing Development. Quinn entered politics to manage the City Council campaign of Thomas Duane in 1991, after which she was Duane's Chief of Staff for five years. She later became the Executive Director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project, and was appointed by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani as a member of the NYC Police/Community Relations Task Force.

Quinn ran successfully for the City Council in 1999. As of 2007, she still represents the Council's third district, representing Chelsea, Greenwich Village, and Hell's Kitchen, as well as parts of SoHo and Murray Hill. In January 2006, at the age of 39, after serving on the City Council's City Council for almost 7 years, Christine Quinn was elected City Council Speaker.

Before becoming Speaker, Quinn served as chair of the Health Committee, during which she sponsored the Equal Benefits Bill and the Health Care Security Act, which requires that City contractors provide parity in benefits between married spouses and registered domestic partners. This and the Health Care Security Act (which ensures health care for grocery workers) were passed over Mayor Michael Bloomberg's veto. However, the courts threw out the Equal Benefits Bill for conflicting with existing competitive state bidding laws.^[2] Quinn led the Council's opposition to Bloomberg's unsuccessful West Side Stadium plan.

Preceding the controversial lecture by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Columbia University, Quinn wrote to the university requesting that his invitation to speak be withdrawn.^[3]

Quinn is widely rumored to be planning a campaign for Mayor of New York City, possibly in 2009.^{[4] [5] [6]} In 2006 and 2007 she angered some New York City progressive activists by appearing to back away from her previous issue positions toward the political center, as in the case of her opposition to expanding housing subsidies for people living with HIV[3], and in the case of her support for proposed New York City Police Department regulations that would tighten permit requirements for parades and demonstrations.

Admittedly Ms. Quinn has done well for her district, however her career in politics is now open to question. Christine Quinn is currently under investigation following a Department of Investigations audit that discovered millions of dollars under her care earmarked for organizations that did not, in fact exist. (New York Post Sat April 25,2008).

[edit] NY St. Patrick's Day Parade boycott

Quinn announced in 2007 that she intended to march in the LGBT section of Dublin, Ireland's St. Patrick's Day Parade. She was invited to Dublin due to the Ancient Order of Hibernians's policy against gays and lesbians marching openly (i.e. displaying overt symbols of their sexual identity) in the New York parade. She tried to broker a deal with the organisers in 2006 to allow her to wear a gay pride pin, but failed and has since boycotted the event. ^{[7] [8]}

Quinn was named the third-most powerful woman in New York, behind Hillary Rodham Clinton and Diane Sawyer ^[9] She resides in Chelsea, Manhattan with her partner, Kim Catullo. ^[10]

[edit] References

• Christine C. Quinn official City Council site
• Hu, Winnie. Council Ready to Fill the Job of Speaker. New York Times, January 3, 2006.
• Hu, Winnie. Next Council Speaker in New York is a Doer and a Trailblazer. New York Times, January 4, 2006.
• Krugler, Sara. Quinn elected as NY City Council Speaker. Associated Press, January 4, 2006.
• Lombardi, Frank. "http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/392386p-332786c.html Quinn drops the ax on 61 Council staff". "Daily News", February 18, 2006

New York Daily News, April 4th, 2008 - Revelation that Speaker Christine Quinn created thirty non-existent "charities" who were designated to receive millions of dollars in state, city and federal funds.

[edit] External links

• Official NYC Council Website about Speaker Christine Quinn
• The New York Observer's Christine Quinn Archives
• Council speaker battle: Christine Quinn
• Searchlight 2002 - District 3
• The Outsider Comes In
• Christine Quinn Accedes
• Speaker Eyes Term Limits, But Gingerly

Preceded by Thomas Duane	New York City Council, 3rd District 1999 – present	Incumbent
Preceded by Gifford Miller	Speaker, New York City Council 2006-present	Succeeded by Incumbent

v • d • e Speakers of the New York City Council Vallone • Miller • Quinn