Mayor Reappoints Landmarks Chair Sarah Carroll and Nominates Anthony Crowell and Gail Benjamin to City Planning

Sarah Carroll will serve an additional seven years at Landmarks, while Gail Benjamin and NYLS Dean Anthony Crowell will join City Planning for five years. On August 5, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams nominated Sarah Carroll to continue as Chair of Landmarks Preservation Commission and nominated Gail Benjamin and Anthony Crowell to the City Planning Commission. Landmarks commissioners serve seven-year terms, while City Planning commissioners serve for five years.


Mayor Appoints Sreoshy Banerjea as New Public Design Commissioner

Banerjea’s past projects include Broadway Junction, Sunnyside Yard and the Seaport Climate Resilience Masterplan. On June 10, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams appointed a new executive director for the New York City Public Design Commission (PDC), Sreoshy Banerjea. Banerjea is replacing Keri Butler, the outgoing executive director of the Public Design Commission who has been with the agency for over a decade. The New York City Public Design Commission has authority over permanent works of architecture, … <Read More>


Mayor Adams Appoints Climate Leadership Team

The combination of agencies aims to reduce redundancy and enhance integrated work. On January 31, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced his administration’s climate leadership team and changes to the City’s executive agencies that handle environmental justice. Three appointments were announced: Rohit T. Aggarwala as the chief climate officer and Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP); Vincent Sapienza as the chief operations officer of DEP; and Kitty Charles-Guzman as the executive director of the <Read More>


Mayor Appoints Anita Laremont as City Planning Commission Chair

Laremont has worked with the Department of City Planning since 2014. On September 23, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that Anita Laremont will serve as the next Chair of the City Planning Commission and Director of the Department of City Planning. The appointment is effective immediately, and Chair Laremont succeeds outgoing Chair Marisa Lago, who will be joining the U.S. Department of Commerce after being selected by the Biden Administration. 


Mayor Appoints Lorraine Grillo as City “Recovery Czar”

Grillo has prior experience managing recovery efforts from after Superstorm Sandy. On February 22, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the appointment of Lorraine Grillo as the City’s Senior Advisor for Recovery. As “Recovery Czar”, Grillo will coordinate the City’s recovery agenda, “Recovery for All,” across City agencies and work with non-profits and the private sector. The “Recovery for All” agenda highlights vaccination efforts, addressing unemployment, inequality, neighborhood policing, environmental justice issues and <Read More>


City Establishes COVID-19 Checkpoints to Enforce State Quarantine Orders

On August 5, 2020, Mayor de Blasio announced that checkpoints will be placed at all major entry points into the City to ensure compliance with New York State quarantine requirements. Travelers who have visited 34 designated states, territories, or areas with high COVID-19 transmission rates must complete the New York State Department of Health traveler form and quarantine for a period of 14 days upon entering the City. These travel health forms help the City … <Read More>