Laura Anglin, a Leading New York State and City Official, Dies at 57
“We’re still in mourning.”
-The Associated Press
The New York Times reported on Sunday, “New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Monday said he was saddened by the death of the city’s Public Advocate, Grace Meng, who died of complications from a brain tumor on May 11 at age 62.” The Times added:
Ms. Meng, a former Manhattan Borough President, was an experienced public advocate and a vocal critic of the administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who took office two years ago largely on the strength of the Bloomberg administration’s efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
“Grace was a pioneer, a champion and a fighter for New Yorkers’ right to be heard,” he told The New York Times, where he announced his plan to run for Mayor. “She has given us our voice and inspired us to fight for greater equity and justice for all.
“For me, she will never be forgotten and I’ll never forget her,” he said.
Mr. Bloomberg issued a statement on his website that said:
“This is a difficult day for my family. I have loved Grace and admired her from the day I met her as the City’s first female Public Advocate. I will miss her great sense of humor and kindness. She will be sorely missed.”
He added, “She had served the residents of New York City with honor and distinction and I will miss her love of the city.”
I’m sorry to say that I never knew Grace Meng. I first became aware of her when I saw a picture of her on City Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s office door on the heels of Christine Quinn’s death. My first interaction with Grace was when she and I were appointed to the task force on gun violence in 2008 by Mayor Bloomberg, to investigate the role of guns in the shootings in Virginia Tech. My first interaction with Grace was when I read an op-ed she penned for the New York Post in response to the death of Philando Castile in the US. “There is another side to the story,” Grace wrote in the op-ed. “The media�
