Melinda Katz

Melinda R. Katz (born August 19, 1965) is a New York politician who is currently the Queens Borough President.

Katz was a New York City Councilwoman from 2002 to 2009. She left politics in 2009 to work at Greenberg Traurig, a law firm where she specializes in government affairs and land use. In 2012, she announced her return to politics with a run for Queens Borough President in 2013. She had previously run for City Comptroller in 2009.

Early life

Melinda Katz grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, and still resides there with her two children, fathered through IVF by radio personality and founder of the Guardian Angels Curtis Sliwa. On February 14, 2015, the New York Daily News reported they had separated on Election Day 2014 two years after they had announced plans to marry.

She comes from a Jewish family with a long history of civic involvement. Her father, the late Maestro David Katz, was founder of the Queens Symphony Orchestra in 1953, and her mother, the late Jeanne Dale Katz, founded the Queens Council on the Arts.