NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Claire Shulman, the first woman to be elected Queens Borough President, has passed away at age 94.
Shulman, who served as Borough President from 1986 to 2002, died on Sunday after a battle with both lung and pancreatic cancer, her family told amNewYork.
In a tweet on Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio called Shulman “a trailblazer, a fearless activist and a quintessential New Yorker."
“Queens is our largest borough and Claire Shulman made sure every single voice was heard,” he wrote. “Our hearts are heavy today. She will be truly missed.”
In her own statement, Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee called Shulman “larger-than-life”
“She did not waste time, and lived every single minute fully and with purpose,” Lee wrote. “In a borough known for its trailblazers, few have led a life of dedicated public service as robust and as effective as Claire Shulman.”