Bill Perkins, Longtime Harlem Elected Official, Dead At 74

HARLEM, NY — Bill Perkins, the longtime Harlem elected official and life-long resident of the neighborhood, has died at 74, his wife Pamela Green Perkins confirmed in a statement on Tuesday morning.

Perkins represented Harlem as an elected official for 25 years, first in the City Council from 1998 to 2005, before pivoting to representing the neighborhood in the State Senate from 2007 to 2017, and returning to the Council for one more term from 2017 to 2021.

“After a lifetime fighting for justice, equality and to make the voices of our community heard, my husband, former City Councilman and State Senator Perkins died at home in Harlem, the community he loved and fought for his entire life," Pamela wrote in a statement. "May he rest in peace and in power.”

Perkins was born April 18, 1949, and was raised by his mother with his two brothers and a cousin.

He would go on to graduate from the Collegiate School on the Upper West Side and then Brown University.

Perkins started his political career as a community activist and tenant leader, getting elected three times to City Council, and was eventually chosen by his colleagues to serve as Deputy Majority Leader and Chair of the Government Operations Committee.

He was one of the few elected leaders to stand with the Exonerated Central Park Five at the time of their arrest, and spearheaded the successful fight to pass the Childhood Lead Pain Poisoning Prevention Act of 2004 to protect kids from the deadly effects of lead in the home.

He was also a colon cancer survivor.

The family has not announced any details on Perkin's funeral arrangements.

"Harlem has lost a giant," Mayor Eric Adams wrote Tuesday morning. "Bill Perkins was a legend of New York government. He was also a good friend. I will miss his company and his counsel."

Upper Manhattan Congressman Adriano Espaillat also released a statement on the passing of his "friend and fellow public servant."

"NYC Councilman Bill Perkins was a friend and fellow public servant who touched the lives of many who called New York City home," Espaillat said. "I am deeply touched by today's news of his passing and his loss will be felt by all."