Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. delivered his State of the Borough address on Friday, June 3, highlighting his accomplishments during his first 19 months in office and his plans for building a stronger, fairer Queens as the borough emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Click here to read the text of Borough President Richards’ address, as prepared for delivery.

Delivered at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center within LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Borough President Richards’ State of the Borough address highlighted his administration’s historic investments made in health care, public safety, economic development, civic engagement, affordable housing, sustainability and transportation over the past 19 months.

The Borough President also outlined a wide array of critical initiatives his office is launching in the coming weeks and months to build a stronger, fairer Queens rooted in equity and inclusivity.

Some of the major initiatives and announcements unveiled by Borough President Richards include:

  • “Queens Forward”: A holistic, wide-ranging collection of capital investments to be made across Queens in partnership with Governor Hochul.
  • “Borough Hall on Your Block”: The week-long relocation of the Queens Borough President’s Office, along with all the programs and services it offers, to different regions of the borough to focus on the unique needs of families in those specific neighborhoods.
  • A commitment from NYC Health + Hospitals to establish a NYC Health + Hospitals Gotham Health facility in Far Rockaway to address longstanding health care inequities on the peninsula.
  • The establishment of a Hate Crimes Task Force, featuring law enforcement, anti-hate activists and community leaders to develop inclusive solutions to the recent rise in bias crimes.
  • A plan to host a Queens Tech Fair and a Queens Tech Challenge to ensure Queens is a global leader in the emerging technology industry, while addressing inequities in current tech industry employment opportunities.
  • A call on NYC Small Business Services to create a Veteran-Owned Business Certification program to create further economic and contracting opportunities for our veteran entrepreneurs.
 

Borough President Richards’ State of the Borough address was preceded by remarks from New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Mayor Eric Adams, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and New York State Secretary of State Robert Rodriguez.

LaGuardia Community College President Kenneth Adams and Deputy Queens Borough President Ebony Young offered welcoming remarks, which were followed by soprano Mari-Yan Pringle singing the National Anthem and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,”

An interfaith innovation was then offered by Jatinder S. Boparai, President of the Sikh Cultural Society; Rabbi Mark Kleinman of the Reform Temple of Forest Hills; Dr. Uma Mysorekar, President of the Hindu Temple of North America, Al Ihsan Academy Principal Dr. Rafeek Mohammed and the Rev. Eli Wilson III, Senior Minister at St. Albans Congregational Church.

The program also featured diverse array of musical and dance performances, courtesy of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts Concert Choir + Dance, the Korean Traditional Music and Dance Center, Jonathan Gomez and Gregorio Uribe, the DeVore Dance Company and The Bartlett Contemporaries.

Long Island City-based JetBlue Airways and Resorts World New York City, located in South Ozone Park, were the sponsors of Borough President Richards’ 2022 State of the Borough Address. Their participation in the event was facilitated by the Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC).