“I am sure that I would not have gotten as many votes as I have gotten without the endorsement of Senator Comrie,” testified Nathaniel Hezekiah III, winner of June’s crowded Democratic Party primary to take the place of the 32nd District’s outgoing Assemblywoman Vivian Cook (D-Jamaica).
Hezekiah, a congressional staffer, now running in November for the job in Albany, was eager to join the chorus of Southeast Queens politicos showing up to make appearances in front of state Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), first elected to the City Council in 2001 and situated in the State Senate since 2015.
The stately 67-year old Comrie remains a popular figure, capable of filling a packed house last week in the Harvest Room in Jamaica for what was billed as his State of the District address, his first since 2016, a staffer later told the Chronicle.
Hezekiah was far from the only (soon-to -be) elected to make an appearance. The ubiquitous Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz appeared, as did City Council Deputy Speaker Nantasha Williams (D-St. Albans), Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-Laurelton) and Assemblywoman Larinda Hooks (D-Corona), all of whom thanked Comrie repeatedly for their careers in politics.
Comrie was thankful, he said, for getting the Democratic Party nod for a seventh term in Albany unopposed.
“We had a lot of things that we wanted to get done to end this year, in this legislative session, and it just could not get done because we were caught in a budget quagmire,” Comrie complained, something he blamed on Gov. Hochul.
“The governor decided she was going to hold up the budget, and I’m frankly upset that we couldn’t get our bills passed because we were tied up with all these things the governor wanted,” he added. He noted that she had been successful in getting legislators to approve sending out energy rebate checks, worth up to $200 each, which will be mailed to voters in October, shortly before she goes up in front of voters for reelection.
“Well, it worked for the president,” Comrie said with a hearty laugh.
Among the legislative accomplishments Comrie touted was a bill providing restitution to car owners when repair shops don’t comply with DMV regulations, and another one forcing utilities to submit storm resiliency plans to the Public Service Commission.
“We’re facing more storms than ever before, and utilities are responsible for coming up with emergency planning, but they’ve been very lax with doing it,” Comrie said.