Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Donovan Richards

Donovan Richards

  • Will Office Conversions Actually Produce Affordable Housing? They Should, But State Leaders Must Act

    Gov. Hochul signs a bill for hotel to housing conversions (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    In 2016, the City Council adopted mandatory inclusionary housing (MIH), city legislation requiring for the first time that in any rezoning or other regulatory change that created or expanded the right to build apartments — in a neighborhood, or in a single building — at least 20% of the new housing had to be affordable, and affordable in perpetuity.  

    The foundational concept was simple: if government gives a developer

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  • Max Politics Podcast: Borough President Donovan Richards on What's Next in Queens

    Queens BP Donovan Richards (photo: Queens Borough President's Office)


    December 8, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Borough President Donovan Richards on the Latest in Queens and Looking Ahead to 2023

    Queens Borough President Donovan Richards joined the show to discuss recent developments in Queens, his top priorities, and what's ahead in 2023.

    Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter @TweetBenMax. You can listen to the show through the embedded audio below or download the episode

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  • New York City Electeds, Advocates Outline Priorities for State Climate Action Council

    Mayor Adams and others discuss wind energy plans (photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)


    New York’s sweeping Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 set the state on a path to reaching net-zero emissions over the next three decades. The law established a Climate Action Council that drafted a framework for achieving that goal, and is now more than halfway through the process of seeking public input on its proposed plan. 

    The Council held its seventh public hearing on Tuesday in Brooklyn, out of

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  • The City Council Should Vote Yes on the Blood Center Project

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    Blood Center project rendering (image: Ennead)


    As current and future leaders of four of New York City’s five boroughs, we strongly urge the full City Council to vote “yes” at the upcoming meeting, Tuesday, November 23, on the New York Blood Center’s proposal to modernize and expand its antiquated Upper East Side building to secure the future of a nonprofit that is essential to hospitals across the city and position our city as a global public health capital.

    For projects of citywide importance like the Blood Center’s, we must balance the needs of

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  • City Struggles to Boost Vaccinations in Far Rockaway, Where Rates Are Lowest

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    Elected officials and public health officials at the Beach 39th Street Vaccine Hub in Far Rockaway (photo: @JCCofRP)


    Despite pouring tens of millions of dollars into "credible messengers," targeted outreach, pop-up and in-home vaccination sites, and door-to-door canvassing, New York City health officials have struggled to boost covid vaccination in some historically underserved and overlooked neighborhoods. Among them is Far Rockaway, Queens, one of the places most severely impacted by the pandemic in terms of infection, death and economic

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  • Donovan Richards on Winning the Queens BP Primary and What’s Next on His Agenda

    Donovan Richards on Winning the Queens BP Primary, Improving Vaccination Rates and What’s Next on His Agenda

    Donovan Richards (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    Donovan Richards, who recently secured the Democratic nomination in his quest for reelection as Queens Borough President in a tight and contentious primary, has several top priorities as he continues in the position and if he is able to win a first full term in the position.

    Richards was elected Queens Borough President in 2020 in a special election to replace Melinda Katz, who left the post after

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  • Max Politics Podcast: Donovan Richards Seeks Reelection as Queens Borough President

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    Queens BP Donovan Richards, middle (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    July 14, 2021 - Max Politics Podcast: Donovan Richards Seeks Reelection as Queens Borough President

    Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, a Democrat seeking reelection after less than a year in office, joined the show to discuss his narrow primary win, the contentious race, his upcoming priorities, and more.

    Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter ...

  • Breaking Down Final 2020 Vote Tallies Across New York City

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    Joe Biden (photo: Adam Schultz/Biden for President)


    New York City's long-awaited election results were finally certified Tuesday, four weeks after polls closed and just past the state's statutory deadline, making the five boroughs one of the last jurisdictions in the country to finalize the 2020 count.

    The results show that, in a year with significantly more ballots cast and massive changes in party alignments, the Democratic Party made barely any gains in presidential turnout, while the smaller, more progressive Working Families Party made huge strides as it

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  • 'One For The History Books': Race to Replace City Council Member Donovan Richards Starts to Take Shape in Southeast Queens

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    City Council Member Donovan Richards (photo: Jeff Reed/City Council)


    Donovan Richards’ likely ascension to become the next Queens Borough President at the start of 2021 would trigger a special election to replace him in the City Council in the 31st District in Southeast Queens. With several candidates already in the race to replace Richards -- a Democrat who is term-limited out of his current position at the end of 2021 anyway -- and additional potential candidates circling, the likely special election is already shaping up to be one of the most contentious

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  • Donovan Richards Lays Out His Vision As Likely Next Queens Borough President

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    Council Member Donovan Richards (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    With his victory in the June Democratic primary, City Council Member Donovan Richards is poised to become Queens’s next Borough President, replacing former Borough President Melinda Katz who vacated the office in January after being elected the borough’s District Attorney.

    Richards, a Democrat who currently represents Council District 31 and chairs the Council’s public safety committee, will face Republican nominee Joann Ariola, the chair of the Queens County Republican Party, in the November

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  • As Gun Violence Increases, So Does Disagreement Over De Blasio's Response

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    Mayor de Blasio & NYPD Commissioner Shea (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    As New York City continues to see an increase in gun violence, concentrated largely in Brooklyn and the Bronx, Mayor Bill de Blasio and his police department have gone with a familiar playbook of shifting resources to hot spots, holding gun buy-backs, and coordinating with community groups that seek to prevent shootings in vulnerable neighborhoods. But as shootings and murders have jumped by especially large numbers amid the pandemic, its resulting mass unemployment, and a

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Donovan Richards on Development, Jobs & His Vision for Queens

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    City Council Member Donovan Richards (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    August 19, 2020 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Donovan Richards on Police Reform, Jobs & His Vision for Queens

    City Council Member Donovan Richards, very likely the next Queens Borough President, joined the show to discuss how he plans to operate as borough president and what's next as he chairs the Council's public safety committee.

    Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think -- we're on Twitter ...

  • Queens Democrats Set to Vote for Next Borough President: What to Know About the Race and the Candidates

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    Left to right: Democrats Richards, Crowley, Constantinides, Yin, Miranda


    This story was published in partnership with the Queens Daily Eagle

    Early voting begins today -- Saturday, June 13 -- for the Democratic primary for Queens Borough President, a race that was triggered when the previous officeholder, Melinda Katz, was elected the borough’s district attorney last year and took office in January.

    As much as borough presidents hold largely

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  • ‘Defund the NYPD’? What’s Really in the New York City Police Department Budget

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    The NYPD budget is in the spotlight, but what's in it (photo: Edwin J. Torres/Mayor's Office)


    The daily protests in New York City over police brutality and racism bore fruit this weekend as Mayor Bill de Blasio reversed course, announcing that he would cut police department funding and institute other reforms at the NYPD. The State Legislature also took notice and expedited a long list of police accountability and transparency measures that had languished for years.

    Over the last ten days, as the protests swelled across the city and the NYPD responded

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  • Privilege Trumps Priority in Black and Brown Communities, Again

    Donovan Richards

    Council Member Donovan Richards, the author (photo: Jeff Reed/City Council)


    The lack of coronavirus testing sites in poor communities and particularly communities of color is costing black and brown New Yorkers their lives. There is no clearer example of institutional racism than the different infection and mortality rates during this crisis. It is a scar on our nation and our city. In areas of New York City that already experience the highest rates of asthma, diabetes, and other underlying conditions, this virus has already proven to be a death

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  • New Queens Borough President Special Election Date - Same as Party Primaries - Causes Confusion for Candidates, Officials

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    (l-r top) Richards, Crowley, Constantinides, (bottom) Quinn, Yin, Miranda


    After being postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak, the Queens Borough president special election was rescheduled to take place on June 23, causing broad confusion among the candidates running for the seat and likely a logistical headache for election administrators since a separate primary for the position is also set for the same day.

    The special election, which was triggered when Queens Borough President Melinda Katz was elected the borough’s district attorney, was originally

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  • Offering Different Visions for Queens, Borough President Candidates Face New June Special Election

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    Council Members Constantinides, left, & Richards (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases skyrocketed in the city this month, Mayor Bill de Blasio decided to cancel the special election for Queens Borough President that was scheduled to conclude March 24.

    Early voting had already begun in the special election to fill a vacancy that was created when the former officeholder, Melinda Katz, was elected Queens District Attorney. A spokesperson for the mayor said that “pending

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  • Ballot Set for Queens Borough President Special Election After Unprecedented 'Lottery'

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    Queens BP special election is March 24 (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    In low-turnout and low-information elections, like the typical special election in New York City, the prominence of a candidate’s name on the ballot can go a long way -- and that depends largely on the order in which the candidates are listed. Traditionally the subject of gaming by campaigns, for the March special election to name a new Queens Borough President, the order was determined by an unprecedented method: random draw.

    “Three candidates filed simultaneously so the order of

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  • De Blasio's Answer to Garner Death, NYPD Deescalation Training Slowly Evolves Toward Meeting Mayor’s Rhetoric

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    In the five years following Eric Garner’s death at the hands of then-NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo, Mayor Bill de Blasio has repeatedly fallen back on the same argument to defend the police department when questions are raised about apparent incidents of excessive force or other misconduct by officers: deescalation training.

    “[T]he goal is always to de-escalate,” the mayor said at a news conference on crime statistics on November 6, addressing a recent “chaotic” incident on a

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  • Facing Criticism, NYPD Reps Tell City Council Body Camera Program 'A Work in Progress'

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    (photo: Emil Cohen/City Council)


    The NYPD’s body-worn camera policies are a “work in progress,” a police official said at a hearing of the New York City Council’s public safety committee on Monday, seeking to allay concerns expressed by Council members about the program that now includes more than 20,000 uniformed officers. At the hearing, Council members had questions and criticisms about transparency and accountability taking a back seat to surveillance and police authority, particularly with regard to the NYPD’s control over body camera footage.

    The NYPD

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  • City Council to Examine Rollout of NYPD Body Camera Program

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    (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    The NYPD’s body-worn camera program is meant to provide transparency and accountability about policing activity in the city, particularly in cases of high-profile incidents of police officers’ use of force against civilians. But more than seven months after body cameras were rolled out to every uniformed patrol officer, there are many questions about how the cameras are used and about the policies that determine the release of the footage to the public and independent

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  • NYPD Counterterrorism Chief on Threats, Privacy & Transparency

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    Donovan Richards and John Miller (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    As the internet continues to transform the landscape of threats to the United States and New York City specifically, the NYPD has had to adapt, and the police department in the country’s largest city, what some call its ‘number one terror target,’ uses monitoring and surveillance tools that have raised questions. Advancements in technology and tactics -- as well as age-old concerns about privacy, free speech, and due process, plus prior departmental errors in

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: City Council Public Safety Chair Donovan Richards on NYPD Accountability

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    Council Member Donovan Richards (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    July 24, 2019 - Max & Murphy Podcast: How the City Council is Approaching NYPD Accountability

    cm donovan richards 150 wbaiCity Council Member Donovan Richards chairs the Council's Public Safety Committee, which has oversight of the NYPD, and joined the show to discuss holding the

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  • City Council Looks at Reducing Recidivism for People with Mental Illness

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    Elizabeth Ford of Health + Hospitals, left, & Becky Scott of DOC (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    City Council members on Monday held an oversight hearing to examine how New York prevents formerly incarcerated mentally ill persons from returning to jail. The hearing made clear that the de Blasio administration, Health + Hospitals public hospital system, and City Council members all want to reduce the number of mentally ill persons who rely on the jail system for their mental health care and keep those with serious mental illness out of jail

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  • Headley Case Again Raises Questions About NYPD Accountability Under De Blasio

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    When video was captured in 2014 of Staten Island resident Eric Garner dying with an NYPD officer’s arm wrapped around his neck, just months after the election of a progressive mayor promising a new day at the police department, it seemed like a watershed moment. The evidence was there for millions to see for themselves, across the city and country, and beyond. It seemed impossible that the officer, Daniel Pantaleo, would escape any accountability. But more than four years later there has been little beyond Pantaleo’s move to

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