Queens, which has been particularly hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, is poised to get a new borough president next year after Melinda Katz moved to become the borough’s new District Attorney in January. While he faces a Republican opponent in the general election this fall, City Councilmember Donovan Richards is likely to replace her after winning the primary election in June. 

In a conversation Wednesday on WBAI’s Max & Murphy Show, Richards discussed his goals for the office and how Queens—and the city as a whole—can rebound from COVID-19 and protect itself from a potential second wave of infections. 

“We are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, but my big concern still is that not enough people are getting tested,” Richards said. “We have to anticipate as we move through the fall, as some people have projected, that we can see another case of COVID rememerge drastically, especially in communities like mine that have been historically underserved.”

Later on in the podcast, Fordham University Professor Dr. Christina Greer discusses the lessons New York can learn from the June primary, Black voting patterns and more political news. 

You can listen to the full episode below.

Donovan Richards on Queens and COVID-19 Recovery, Christina Greer on Lessons from the Primary