Richards set to take over as Queens borough president after BOE certifies victory

Photo courtesy of Richards’ campaign

By David Brand

Councilmember Donovan Richards is now Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, following certification of his Nov. 3 victory by the Board of Elections.

Richards will soon move from the City Hall to Borough Hall, though he said an exact swearing-in date has not been set. The ceremony is a formality, however.

A BOE spokesperson confirmed that Richards officially became borough president following certification of the election result.

He takes over from Acting Borough President Sharon Lee, who has held the position since Jan. 1 after former Borough President Melinda Katz took office as Queens District Attorney.

Lee was initially scheduled to serve until a mid-March special election, but that race was cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Lee ended up holding the office nearly nine months longer than expected.

"It has been an honor to serve as borough president throughout this particularly challenging year,” Lee said in a statement. “Despite staying on much longer than expected, my commitment to serve the people of Queens as necessary is now fulfilled.”

“We have worked together toward a seamless transition, and the Borough of Families is now in great hands with incoming Borough President Donovan Richards,” she added.

Richards told the Eagle Sunday he was ready to get to work.

“Without a doubt, this has been a tough time in the borough, and I am eager to get to work and honored that we have such a diverse set of individuals who are representative of this borough, and who will help us come up with the blueprint for our borough to succeed,” he said.

Richards’ pending departure from the Council will trigger a special election for his seat in Southeast Queens’ District 31.