City & State NY: The 2026 Queens Power 100

City & State NY: The 2026 Queens Power 100 | March 2026: Queens has long enjoyed the designation as the “World’s Borough,” a description that reflects the many ethnic groups that call it home and the hundreds of languages they speak there. As Queens has welcomed new arrivals from every corner of the globe, it has also produced political figures having an impact well beyond the borough’s borders. President Donald Trump, now in his second term, came of age as part of a Queens real estate family before ascending to the White House and reshaping the global order. Zohran Mamdani defeated another Queens guy, Andrew Cuomo, in a stunning upset to become New York City’s mayor and is now an international figure in his own right. Mamdani’s ally, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, represents a district in Queens and the Bronx, but she has been a national progressive icon ever since her first election – and she may capitalize on her celebrity with a campaign to succeed Trump in Washington, D.C.

City & State’s Queens Power 100, researched and written in partnership with journalist Sean Okula, features the most powerful individuals in the borough today – including the next generation of rising stars preparing to make their own leap in the years ahead.

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67. Ben Thomases

CEO, Queens Community House

With a budget that has nearly tripled since he took the helm in 2015, Ben Thomases has shepherded unprecedented growth at Queens Community House. After the completion of a $16 million renovation of the organization’s Forest Hills Community Center in 2024, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a $5 million grant for upgrades to the organization’s Pomonok Community Center in December. Thomases earned a title bump to CEO last year. As a leader of the #JustPay campaign, he helped city-contracted human services workers gain a 3% cost-of-living wage adjustment each year in fiscal years 2025, 2026 and 2027.

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