De Blasio appoints three, including buildings chair

July 18, 2014 From Mayor Bill de Blasio's office

Bill de Blasio appointed three to his administration

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Thursday, Bill de Blasio named Rick Chandler as the Department of Buildings Commissioner, Richard Emery as Chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board and Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick and Barry Cozier as Chair and Vice Chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary, respectively.

“From protecting New Yorkers inside our buildings to protecting their rights as they walk on our streets, the leaders joining our administration today have the skills and experience to deliver for the people of this city,” said Mayor de Blasio. “These folks know the city and know how things operate, are committed to serving New Yorkers in every community, and will work to build a stronger, safer, and fairer New York.”

Chandler is a professional engineer and Assistant Vice-President of Facilities at Hunter College, and brings years of large-scale management experience and deep expertise in the building code and zoning resolution. He has a record of harnessing technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations on housing-related issues. Chandler served as a Borough Commissioner of Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx from 1995-2002. As Commissioner, he will be tasked with ensuring the safe and lawful use of more than 975,000 buildings and properties in New York City by enforcing the Building Code, Electrical Code, Zoning Resolution, and state labor law and multiple dwelling law.

“I could not be more humbled to join Mayor de Blasio’s administration as the head of the Department of Buildings,” said incoming Department of Buildings Commissioner Rick Chandler. “The stakes of this work are incredibly high. We’re there to make sure New Yorkers’ homes and workplaces are safe. We’re there to help get more affordable housing and job-creating construction underway. We’re going to advance those priorities safely, responsibly and fairly for all New Yorkers.”

Emery has had a distinguished career fighting for civil rights on behalf of New Yorkers.

As Chair of the CCRB, Emery will be responsible for leading the agency’s efforts to investigate complaints by New Yorkers against allegations of misconduct involving NYPD.

“I am honored to continue working to protect New Yorkers’ rights, ensuring everyone is treated fairly,” said incoming Chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board Richard Emery. “We will tirelessly work to safeguard our collective values of justice and mutual respect.”

Ciparick is a highly respected attorney and former judge who spent nearly two decades on the bench of the New York State Court of Appeals—the highest court in the state. She is currently Counsel to the law firm of Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Barry Cozier, who has served on the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary since 2006, brings a similar depth of experience in New York’s judicial system as a former justice of the Appellate Division of the state’s Supreme Court. Through their combined decades of service, both Ciparick and Cozier have made major contributions to the law of New York State.

As Chair and Vice Chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judicary, Ciparick and Cozier will lead the committee, under the direction of Maya Wiley, Counsel to the Mayor, in its search and selection of highly qualified, diverse and effective candidates for judicial appointments to Criminal and Family Courts, as well as interim appointments to Civil Court.

“Our courts can only function fairly and efficiently when the right judges are on the bench,” said incoming Chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick. “It is an honor to be able to use my years of experience in New York’s judicial system to help select candidates who are right for the job and up to the task.”