Borough President Katz Announces Queens DA Candidacy

BOROUGH PRESIDENT MELINDA KATZ. Photo courtesy of Borough Hall.

By David Brand

Borough President Melinda Katz officially announced her candidacy for Queens District Attorney Monday afternoon. Katz will hold a rally with community leaders at MacDonald Park in Forest Hills today at 11 a.m.

If elected, Katz would be first woman to ever serve as Queens DA.

Katz’ campaign announced her candidacy in a statement.

“Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, surrounded by friends and supporters, will announce her campaign for Queens District Attorney with the support of nearly 300 community leaders from every corner of the Borough,” the statement said. “In her announcement, Melinda will lay out her aggressive agenda for re-framing the DA's office as a place that is as focused on crime prevention as it is on prosecution and discuss her efforts to make the office a partner in justice for local communities.”

Before her election as Borough President in 2012, Katz, a Forest Hills native, served as a city councilmember from 2002 to 2009 and a state assemblymember representing the 28th District in Queens from 1994 to 1999.

Between 2009 and 2012, Katz worked for the law firm Greenberg Traurig. She earned her law degree from St. John’s University School of Law..

According to the Campaign Finance Board, Katz raised more than $417,550 from 323 donors between Jan. 13 and July 12. She had $341,477 remaining as of the July 12 report.

Councilmember Rory Lancman and retired Judge Gregory Lasak, a former assistant district attorney, have already announced their candidacies.

Mina Malik, a former Queens assistant district attorney will likely announce her candidacy, sources familiar with Malik told the Eagle in October.