Sharon Lee (politician)
American politician / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sharon Lee is an American Democratic politician from New York City. From January 2020 until December 2020, she served as the acting borough president of Queens through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1][2]
Sharon Lee | |
---|---|
20th Borough President of Queens | |
In office January 1, 2020 ā December 2, 2020 | |
Preceded by | Melinda Katz |
Succeeded by | Donovan Richards |
Personal details | |
Political party | Democratic |
Education | University of Wisconsin, Madison |
As the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the borough, Lee managed[3] the distribution of tons of pounds of food and support for small businesses[4], a dozen virtual job fairs[5] for out-of-work New Yorkers, 2020 presidential election amidst the pandemic, funding for hospital services including doubling the number of SANE nurses across Queens hospitals[6], championed racial justice[7] in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, and helped boost Queens County's count in the 2020 United States Census[8].
Some of her signature public investments included a $1 million allocation to fully fund the FDNY's Decontamination Specialization Unit[9] in Corona, Queens to purchase and install new equipment necessary for cleaning firefighters' equipment, and a $5.4 million allocation to fully fund cutting-edge cancer treatment technology at Elmhurst Hospital, one of Queens' two public hospitals[10]'s oncology unit. Lee also weighed in on key land use issues ā including a recommendation opposing the 2020 Flushing Waterfront rezoning plan[11].
Lee was also an early outspoken leader amidst the scourge in anti-Asian hate[12], especially in the wake of the Atlanta spa shootings[13]. [14]
Previously, she served as Deputy Queens Borough President from November 2018 through December 2019.[15]