Katz Gets Big Endorsement: Report

Melinda Katz, who is running in the crowded race for borough president, scored a big endorsement this week, according to the New York Daily News.

The Rev. Floyd Flake decided to back Katz in her run for the borough's big chair, setting her apart from a very large pack in the early going.

Flake, a pastor at the Greater Allen American Methodist Episcopal Church in Jamaica, has a great deal of influence, particularly in southeast Queens. He is a former congressman who was replaced in the U.S. House by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-Jamaica. 

The endorsement is the biggest yet for Katz, a former city councilwoman who is in a bit of an early dogfight for the office. Her Democratic opponents are state Sen. Jose Peralta, D-Jackson Heights, state Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, Deputy Queens Borough President Barry Grodenchik, Councilman Leroy Comrie, D-St. Albans, and , D-Astoria.

Vallone has the largest war chest by far of the group, making endorsements such as Flake's that much more important in the fight to gain headlines.

Flake's endorsement, according to the Daily News, is seen as a bit of a snub to Comrie, who represents a portion of southeast Queens in the City Council.