Melinda Katz has won the Queens Borough President Democratic primary on Tuesday, fending off current Queens council member Peter Vallone Jr. in a tight race.
Katz, a former council member for District 29 from 2002 through 2009 , won 44.45 percent of the vote with all precincts reporting.
Vallone was in second with 33.69 percent of the vote. Real estate developer Everly Brown received 12.56 percent of the vote.
“Thank you to all my friends and supporters. Your efforts over these past months have made this possible,” said Katz via Twitter on Wednesday.
Vallone took his loss graciously.
“We fell short but fought the good fight against the political world — and kept it clean and honest,” Vallone said via Facebook. “And tho there won’t be a Vallone in boro hall, there WILL still be one at city hall! CONGRATS LIL BRO!” he added, referring to his brother Paul’s City Council win.
Katz will face Aurelio Arcabascio, who works in the healthcare field, in the general election.
The race was greatly impacted by Senator Tony Avella dropping out to seek re-election in the state senate. Avella still got 9.3 percent of the vote.
According to DecideNYC, “During her time as a Council Member, Katz was the Chair of the Land Usage Committee, which she feels gives her an insight into various aspects of the zoning process, as well as how to interact with the private housing sector.”
