Queens Borough President Helen Marshall barely shows up for her $160,000-a-year job.
Last week, she shocked reporters when she made clear she was unaware fellow Queens Democrat John Liu is running for mayor. Then again, Marshall is 83 years old — born before the stock-market crash of 1929 — and it’s apparent to everyone in Queens she’s no longer up to the demands of her office.
Which to our way of thinking may make her New York’s best politician.
Sure, she plays hooky. As this newspaper reported last summer, Marshall “spends more time in the Hamptons than the halls of government” and took 40 vacation days last year. That’s two entire months off!
But though she may have no business being beep, the truth is no one does. The job of borough president, which costs the city $25 million this year for all five offices, is obsolete and a waste of taxpayer money.
In fact, Marshall’s performance looks especially good when compared with her more hyperactive counterparts. For example, Bronx Beep Ruben Diaz Jr. blocked the creation of 1,200 jobs at a retail development. Brooklyn’s Marty Markowitz spent public funds on concerts to help himself get re-elected. And Manhattan’s Scott Stringer blocked part of a needed expansion plan for NYU.
So, frankly, we’re delighted the lady from Queens doesn’t have the energy to inflict the kind of harm on the city the other borough presidents do. Helen Marshall may be the most overpaid pol in New York. But she’s probably the least expensive.