Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Announces New Appointments, Including Commissioners for Health and Correction
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
Good afternoon, everyone. Before I announce some new members of our administration, I want to first provide New Yorkers with a quick update on the winter weather that our city continues to contend with. Tomorrow, light snow will likely fall across our city. This will be nothing like the storm that hit us last weekend. We are expecting flurries. If snow does accumulate, it will probably not surpass one inch. City workers will continue to do their remarkable work of digging our city from out underneath the snow. The numbers tell a story of incredible commitment. We have melted over 67 million pounds of snow and laid more than 188 million pounds of salt across the five boroughs. As of 8 a.m. this morning, workers have cleared 24,649 crosswalks, 14,831 bus stops, and 6,947 fire hydrants. We know as well that this work continues, and so that is why an additional 130 city workers are joining these efforts this weekend. That means in addition to the 2,500 sanitation workers who are working each 12-hour shift, we now have more than 1,200 additional workers who will be assisting in the cleanups of this city. And while these efforts will continue, I want New Yorkers to remain prepared for the intense cold that continues to brace our city. This is one of the longest, most sustained cold stretches our city has endured in years, and it is showing no signs of abating. We remain in a Code Blue. Outreach workers are canvassing our city to help homeless and vulnerable New Yorkers get into shelter. We have warming sites and vehicles open across our city. And I have said this before, and I cannot say it enough, no one in this city will be turned away from shelter. The City government will continue our outreach, but we all have a role to play in ensuring that this city gets through this cold front. So, I ask New Yorkers, please check in on your neighbors, especially older adults, New Yorkers with disabilities, and those without access to reliable heat. As the cold persists, it has an accumulative effect on our utilities. So please knock on that door, make that check-in, call 311, even if you're unsure. And as the weather continues, please continue to stay informed by texting NOTIFYNYC to 692-692 for emergency alerts. Now, it is also a Saturday afternoon here in New York City. Families are sledding across our five boroughs, children are visiting grandparents, crowds are getting out of Broadway matinee shows, and snow is being shoveled off our streets. That is the New York that is visible to the eye, and it is in full flow, but that flow does not arrive by accident. It is the product of an incredible amount of unseen effort, much of it done by public servants who are far from household names, who dedicate themselves daily to the vital work of supporting New Yorkers, preparing the next generation, and ensuring that each of our neighbors can live lives of dignity and of safety. We are together today to appoint five of those public servants to senior roles in this administration, each of whom will be entrusted with tremendous power to both shape and improve the lives of countless New Yorkers. First, I am thrilled to name Stanley Richards as the commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction. Stanley will make history in this role as the first-ever formerly incarcerated person to serve as commissioner. That achievement is not merely symbolic. It is a testament to the thought and leadership he will bring to every member of corrections staff and incarcerated New Yorkers underneath his purview. I will turn to Stanley as we work to build a city where justice is at the heart of our corrections system, where every Department of Correction employee and incarcerated New Yorker is safe, and where every New Yorker reenters society seamlessly from corrections. As the former first deputy commissioner for the DOC and the executive vice president of the Fortune Society, that work has long been Stanley's purpose, and I am deeply grateful to him for returning to public service. Second, I am proud to announce that Dr. Alister Martin will serve as the commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. A city is only as vibrant as it is healthy, and in Dr. Martin, an emergency room physician with extensive experience on the front lines of public health as well as at the highest levels of government, New Yorkers will be well looked after. Dr. Martin will oversee our city's public health apparatus, monitor disease outbreaks, and work alongside City Hall to build a city where access to high-quality health care is not a privilege accorded only to a select few, but rather something for every New Yorker. Congratulations, sir. Next, I am delighted to appoint Sandra Escamilla-Davies as the commissioner of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development. In the words of the great Mr. Rogers, “Anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me.” And I know that Sandra will be a hero not only to me, but to so many across our city, because for countless families, she already is. She has dedicated her career to uplifting the children of this great city, to providing them with activities that nurture their minds, strengthen their bodies, to investing in our schools and our community centers, to growing youth-based organizations that give so many kids across the city a sense of belonging and a sense of self. She most recently served as the executive vice president of Children's Aid and spent 15 years working at the fund of the City of New York's Development Institute, where she rose to serve as executive director. As commissioner of DYCD, she will do more than build after-school programs and expand the Summer Youth Employment Program. She will work every day to ensure that every child in this city can imagine a future of health, of joy, and of possibility in the place that they call home. Now I am excited to name Yesenia Mata as the commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services. For anyone from Staten Island, Yesenia's name is immediately synonymous with service. As the executive director of La Colmena, she has been a tireless advocate of our city's immigrants and day laborers – New Yorkers often without a champion. As commissioner, Yesenia will continue that work, fighting for the 135,000 veterans who call this city home, and ensuring that they are able to access the housing, the healthcare, the supportive services that they sacrificed so much for. This work is personal to Yesenia. She is a military police sergeant in the army who understands firsthand how much veterans and active duty service members have given to our city and our nation, and how little they often receive in return. I look forward to working with her to tell a new story, one where we repay our veterans with the dignity that they deserve. Finally, I am proud to announce Vilda Vera Mayuga as the new commissioner of the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings. Commissioner Mayuga has expansive experience in City government, having most recently served as the commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, in addition to having served across state government in a number of roles, where she advanced civil rights and advocated for workers. As OATH commissioner, she will oversee our city's independent administrative law court and make justice the expectation for every New Yorker. I am deeply grateful to each of these five leaders for assuming such important roles in our City government, and for heading up the agencies that allow this city to be the envy not just of the state or of the country, but of the world. And I hope that New Yorkers will see their work reflected in young people who grow into happy and healthy adults, justice that is administered fairly across our city, and millions of New Yorkers who are tended to, cared for, and know that when they turn to [the] government, their concerns will be heard and their interests prioritized. Thank you so much. And now our new commissioner for the Department of Correction, Stanley Richards.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceBefore I pass it over to our new commissioner for [the Department of] Health and Mental Hygiene, I also just want to acknowledge we have a few of those very elected officials that we've referred to right here in the house. I think I saw Assemblymember Landon Dais, who is here. And I think I also saw Council Member Althea, who is here as well. When you say the word youth, you have to follow it with Althea. So now I pass it over to our new commissioner for DOHMH, Alister Martin.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceAnd one of the people that our new commissioner will be working with is our esteemed State Senator Gustavo Rivera. He's here and has been leading the fight for the very kind of dignity that we hope to deliver right here in New York City. He's been doing so in Albany. Now I'm going to recede into view as we hear from our additional incredible commissioners. So, next up, we have our new commissioner for the Department of Youth and Community Development, Sandra Escamilla-Davies.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceAnd last, but certainly not least, our new incredible commissioner for the Department of Veteran Services, Yesenia Mata.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceJust before we begin, I do just want to say thank you once again to every single one of you. Each of you are inspirations to New Yorkers, both in this room and outside of this room. And I've appreciated also the presence of family and friends who are here today, because I know that for all of you, just like for me, just like for every New Yorker, we are the products of all those who pour everything into us. And so thank you to the parents, to the children, to the siblings, to those who've inspired both at work and outside. Thank you for giving us these incredible New Yorkers who will serve in this administration.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceSo, I have not yet been in touch, but my administration has. And we look forward to working with the remediation manager on improving conditions in our city's jails, both for those in custody and for corrections officers. I'll just pass it over now as well.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceMy team is in touch with Council Member Ossé and they are going to be delivering the very kind of services they've been delivering across the city. Because what New Yorkers deserve is to be warm, especially in a moment as cold as this.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI can tell you that our administration is going to exhaust every possibility in front of us to ensure that people are warm, and that work will continue through this cold front. Thank you.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceEvery life lost in this city is a tragedy. And my heart is with the families of the loved ones, of those who have died during this brutal stretch of cold. Yesterday, we informed New Yorkers that 13 New Yorkers had lost their lives over the course of this cold front. We've now been informed that an additional New Yorker has lost their life, so that brings the total to 14 New Yorkers. And they have died outdoors since the beginning of this cold front. Now, we know that the cold front began prior to the snowstorm. In eight of these cases, preliminary findings indicate that hypothermia played a role. We are still awaiting final results from the medical examiner's office. At that point, we will also inform New Yorkers of them. I wanna be very clear that this city entered entered into a Code Blue on January 19th. We have been taking every possible measure to get New Yorkers inside. This has been a full all-hands-on-deck approach. And so that means we've intensified an outreach, whether it's from DSS staff to homeless outreach workers, who I joined for a shift earlier this week, to NYPD officers. And since the start of this emergency period, we have successfully made more than 860 placements into shelters and safe havens during what could end up becoming the longest period of consecutive sub-32-degree weather in our city's history. And we have involuntarily transported 16 New Yorkers who were determined to be a danger to themselves or to others. We have also opened warming shelters across the five boroughs. We have expanded shelter capacity, relaxed intake rules, and worked with faith-based and community-based organizations to scale up outreach. And as we have made clear, we are not going to slow down in this work, because frankly, the cold is not letting up. Last night, as part of our whole-of-government response to this crisis, we deployed 17 on-call ambulances that will go directly to people on the streets, offering warmth, food, medical attention, and a direct path indoors. We are also opening a new low-barrier bed shelter site specifically to meet people where they are and remove obstacles to coming inside. And I will continue to remind New Yorkers, this cold is dangerous. Remain diligent. If you see anyone who you think may need help, call 311. And it takes everyone stepping up and keeping an eye out for those across the city for us to be able to protect each and every New Yorker. Thank you.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWe have an incredible opportunity. The most-watched sporting event in the world is coming right here to New York City and New Jersey. And I've already had New Yorkers stop me in the street, asking me for help to get them tickets. [I] had a man who asked me how he could get Brazil Morocco tickets, I told him I'm looking. The importance of having a World Cup czar is to ensure that the World Cup is not simply a moment in time where people from across the world visit this city, but it's also a moment where we introduce our city once again to the world and to ourselves. I am a soccer obsessive. I went to [the] World Cup myself in South Africa in 2010. And I can tell you, aside from crying in the stadium when Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty against Uruguay, my favorite memories are actually beyond the games that were held. They were the moments where I was just a fan moving through these cities and the fan zones and the cities that were opened up and alive in a way that I'd never seen them. I want New York City to be the same. And so, our World Cup czar, Maya Handa, is going to be tasked with ensuring that we bring the game to the people, and that we also take every opportunity we have to make this a real moment of celebration. And one also for small businesses to introduce themselves to those who might otherwise only come and understand New York City as a few select neighborhoods, to instead know it as the entirety of this city. ###
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Announces New Appointments, Including Commissioners for Health and Correction.