| Leroy Comrie | |
|---|---|
| Council Member Leroy Comrie (black suit) at a snow removal hearing in 2010. | |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 27th District | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 2002 |
|
| Preceded by | Archie Spigner |
| Constituency | Southeast Queens |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Marcia Moxam Comrie |
| Residence | Saint Albans, Queens |
| Alma mater | University of Bridgeport |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Website | NYC Council: District 27 |
Leroy Comrie represents the New York City Council District 27, which comprises St. Albans, Cambria Heights, Jamaica, Hollis, Rosedale, and other neighborhoods within the borough of Queens.
A former Chief of Staff to City Councilman Archie Spigner — whom he succeeded in office — for seven years, Comrie entered the City Council in 2002, and now chairs the Consumer Affairs Committee. He has also served as Majority Whip for his Democratic colleagues on the Council, as well as head of the Queens delegation.
Leroy Comrie is married to Marcia Moxam Comrie. They reside in Saint Albans with their daughter and son, who both attend public schools.
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Deputy Majority Leader Leroy Comrie was elected to represent the 27th Council District in 2001 and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2005 and 2009. He grew up in the Southeast Queens communities that he now represents. Comrie attended P.S. 116, I.S. 8, Jamaica High School and the University of Bridgeport, where he developed his passion for politics and government. He is a lifelong member of Saint Alban the Martyr Episcopal Church, where he serves as a layperson, vestryman and chalice administrator. Deputy Majority Leader Comrie knows government must be responsive and provide opportunities for positive interaction with citizens. Therefore, he is focused everyday on providing quality education, guidance and support for youth; ensuring quality healthcare and services for seniors; and, creating economic development projects to create employment opportunities and affordable housing for all New Yorkers. His Council colleagues have elected Comrie as the Deputy Majority Leader of the City Council, as well as the chairman of the Queens Delegation. He sits on the crucial Budget Negotiating and Leadership Committees. Deputy Majority Leader Comrie chairs the Land Use Committee, and is a member of key Council Committees including Rules, Privileges & Elections, Finance, Consumer Affairs, Housing and Buildings, Cultural Affairs/Libraries and International Intergroup Relations and the Sub Committee on Zoning.
Deputy Majority Leader Comrie’s positive impact on city government is evident and his legislative initiatives are significant: increasing tax and property exemptions for seniors, curtailing “pay-day” loans, safety on construction sites, controlling truck traffic, developing a special database on city contracts, improving electrical and building codes, advocating to contain waste transfer stations and increasing job opportunities by establishing direct-to-work training programs. Comrie utilizes the council’s oversight role to monitor the city’s fiscal policies to highlight and improve the effectiveness and responsiveness of city agencies.
Like many communities of color, Southeast Queens has real health challenges and disparities that need to be continuously addressed. Additionally, with the closing of two local hospitals, our community needs access to quality, affordable healthcare now more than ever. That’s why Deputy Majority Leader Comrie has prioritized his advocacy for state-of-the-art equipment and free preventative health programs in our district, including sponsoring dental, mammography, prenatal, sickle cell, colonscopy and brain tumor initiatives, which provided funding for mobile vans that offered free screenings to community residents. Additionally, he has also provided funding for local health organizations to Angeldocs Inc., EMG Health Communications and the Queens Sickle Cell Advocacy Network; secured funding for the Queens HIV/AIDS Center and sponsoring the first free needle exchange program; providing over $2 million in funding for improvements to Queens Hospital Center, including the purchase of PET Scan to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, heart disease, and cancer; provided over $2 million in funding for Jamaica Hospital Medical Center to build a new ambulatory clinic and purchase new medical equipment.
Comrie, known for being one of the most overweight politicians in the country, looks to ban McDonald's "Happy Meal" toys.
Deputy Majority Leader Comrie is a firm believer in quality public education. As a product of Southeast Queens’ public schools and as a father who sends both his children public school in this community, he knows firsthand how important is for our children to have the tools they need to be successful in the classroom and beyond. During his tenure, Comrie has secured over $50 million in public funding for our children. He has secured over $30 million for the construction of Public School 273; over $2 million to build a new culinary arts classroom at August Martin HS, a forensic lab at Law, Government & Community Service HS and physical upgrades at HS for Law Enforcement, HS for Sciences and Humanities & Arts HS; helped our children to bridge the digital divide purchasing new smart boards, laptops and computers for PS 131, PS 268, PS 176, PS 116, PS 34, PS 140, PS 136, PS 134, PS 118, PS 36, PS 95, PS 52, PS 209, IS 192, IS 59, IS 238, IS 8 and Merrick Academy; secured over $3 million in public funding for technical upgrades, renovations and computer labs at York College; has sponsored initiatives for the creation of healthy environments for young people. To halt the rising tide of youth violence, he has funded crisis intervention programs such as LIFE Camp, No Doubt, Project Hope, You Can Go To College, Haitian Americans United for Progress (HAUP) and Southern Queens Park Association.
Deputy Majority Leader Comrie has been a firm supporter of our local library system. He understands that they provide our children with vital after-school educational options and that is why he has secured more than $16 million in funding for their upkeep, including more than $2 million for the construction of the Cambria Heights Library young adult center; $2.5 million for the renovation of the Merrick Boulevard Children’s Center Library; computer and building upgrades for the St. Albans, South Hollis and South Jamaica Libraries; Comrie has fought hard to maintain six-day library service and has insisted that book acquisitions reflect the wide diversity of Southeast Queens cultures.
Deputy Majority Leader Comrie realizes that our community must make a commitment to ensuring that our parks remain clean and safe, so that Southeast Queens’ families can continue to enjoy the amenities they offer. Since elected to represent the 27th Council District, Comrie has secured over $15 million in funding for the upkeep of local City parks, including the building of new children’s playgrounds at Laurelton West Park, PS 176, PS 134 and PS 140; the renovations of playgrounds at Liberty Park, O’Connell Park, Wayanda Park, Hollis Park, PS 36 and PS 95; the establishment of new basketball courts at St. Albans Park and Haggerty Park, new baseball fields at Cambria Park and St. Alban’s Little League, as well as new track at Roy Wilkins Park; the planting of trees and building of new sidewalks at the newly-constructed Baisley Park Community Garden.
Deputy Majority Leader Comrie has been a champion for the cultural arts in Southeast Queens. Having lived in this community for most of his life, he is fully aware and appreciative of the historic musical legacy of our community, where great jazz legends once lived. Additionally, Comrie knows how important it is to preserve our cultural traditions and create opportunities for new generations of artists in our community. This is why the Council Member has secured over $6 million in funding for cultural arts programs, including renovations for the Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, Black Spectrum Theater, Jamaica Performing Arts Center, Afrikan Poetry Theatre and the York Performing Arts Center.
In his community, Deputy Majority Leader Comrie has sponsored town hall meetings, job fairs, coat and toy drives, senior events, family days and other events. He continually pressures agencies to resolve quality of life and public safety issues.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Archie Spigner |
New York City Council, 27th District 2002–present |
Incumbent |
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Council Member Leroy Comrie was elected to represent the 27th District in January 2002. He grew up in the communities that he now represents in Southeast Queens. He attended P.S. 116, I.S. 8, Jamaica High School and the University of Bridgeport, where he developed his passion for politics and government. He is a lifelong member of Saint Alban the Martyr Episcopal Church, where he served as a layperson, vestryman and chalice administrator.