Richards names Queens Borough Hall leadership team
/
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards was sworn in last month by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Photo courtesy of Richards’ office
By David Brand
New Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced his appointments for four top staff positions in Queens Borough Hall on Sunday, tapping a diverse team of local policy experts and longtime allies for leadership roles.
Richards, a former councilmember who took office last month, appointed Franck Joseph II as his chief of staff and senior advisor.
Joseph previously worked as chief of staff for Richards during his time in the council and most recently served as deputy commissioner for the New York City Commission on Human Rights. He considered a bid for Richards’ old council seat in District 31, which includes the Eastern portion of the Rockaway Peninsula and parts of Southeast Queens, before deciding not to run.
Richards also chose to appoint two deputy borough presidents: attorney and community leader Rhonda Binda and food justice expert Michael Hurwitz. The pair will focus on land use, technology, food insecurity, criminal justice reform, parks and transportation, Richards said.
Binda is chair of South Asian American Voice, vice president of the organization Guyanese Girls Rock Foundation and former executive director of the Jamaica Center BID. She has worked for the U.S. State Department.
“As a woman of color, it is also important to me that Queens Borough President Richards is committed to ensuring that women continue to have a strong voice in our government and community,” she said.
Hurwitz, an attorney and social worker, spent 14 years as director of food access and agriculture at GrowNYC and helped develop the Red Hook Farm as co-founder of the nonprofit Added Value and Herban Solutions.
The fourth appointee, Breeana Mulligan, will serve as Richards’ director of communications. Mulligan is a Democratic district leader in Astoria and most recently worked as a member of the communications staff under Council Speakers Corey Johnson and Melissa Mark-Viverito.
All four were part of Richards 120-member transition team, which briefly advised the new borough president between his Nov. 3 election and ceremonial swearing in Dec. 6.
Richards said the new Borough Hall staffers “have demonstrated both exemplary talent and tireless dedication” to Queens and New York City.
“I am proud to add these hardworking public servants to my staff, some of whom represent the best of our borough, especially as we quickly move to tackle the ongoing public health and economic crises,” he added.
Richards’ own path to Queens Borough Hall was complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The office was vacated by former borough president Melinda Katz when she took over as Queens district attorney on Jan. 1, 2020. Less than three months later, the pandemic compelled Gov. Andrew Cuomo to cancel a March special election to replace Katz, leaving Acting Borough President Sharon Lee in office for eight months longer than expected.
Richards eventually defeated four other candidates in the June Democratic primary before beating Republican candidate Joann Ariola in the November 3 general election. He was able to take office as soon as the Board of Elections certified the results on Dec. 1.
But the road may not get much easier.
Richards will have to run to retain the seat in this year’s Democratic primary.
He faces at least one challenger so far. Long Island City Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer has discussed his plans to run for Queens borough president and has filed a campaign committee with the BOE.
