City of New York, NY

09/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/30/2024 10:00

Transcript: Mayor Adams Delivers Remarks at DSNY's Graduation and Promotion

September 30, 2024

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. I want to thank Commissioner Tisch and I was telling her as the military personnel stood up that proportionally at all of the graduations I attended, you probably have the highest level of proportion of military personnel that's here. So there's a great deal of patriotism that runs through the blood of the Strongest in how you contribute to the city. This is the greatest country on the globe, bar none. And when I would meet with mayors across the globe, they debate about number two and number three. They look over at me and smile because they know there's no other place on the globe like New York City.
This is the city where everyone comes to learn how to run other cities. And I want to thank the men and women of DSNY. We took on a bold challenge on January 1st, 2022 when we saw among our highways, encampments, litter. No one thought we could do the containerizing of our garbage in a short period of time, a historical battle.
You took on one of my greatest enemies, rats. We have a decrease in rat complaints, a decrease in the filth that we witnessed at one time. And then you look at 8,000 strong, and you see the diversity. New women are now part of your rank and file, the promotions, the civilians. And how much of what you do go unnoticed until it's not there.

Storm after storm, your immediate response to the storms and how we get our streets clean so our emergency apparatus can move forward to and from. And how you ensure that our children could get to and from their schools in a safe way. After a special event, a New Year celebration, the streets are immediately clean and we're back up and operating. After the marathon, you immediately determine how we can open our streets and operate. And looking at that video states a lot of your enforcement to make sure we go after the quality-of-life issues that make this city what it is. You are the strongest.

And I thank you for the job that you do.
And no matter who's the mayor, no matter who's the governor, no matter who's the president, you continue to do your job every day. A blue-collar city. And I'm proud to be a blue-collar mayor. I think of this building often.
As a young man, almost 37 years ago, being sworn in and coming here as a member of the New York City Police Department. This is a city where working men and women will be able to raise healthy children and families because you have created the quality of life in this city that is important. We need a clean city to know that we are moving in the right direction. I thank you for what you do. Never had a graduation of this capacity before.
And to Commissioner Tisch, acknowledge, we must treat all of our uniformed personnel the same way. That's why I settled your contract to make sure you got the raise that you deserve so you could provide for your family. And I thank you, commissioner, for what you have done to redefine and show the entire city, if not the nation, why you are called New York City's Strongest. Congratulations to all of our honorees and promotees. Thank you very much.
Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Department of Sanitation: Good morning, everyone. Thank you, Superintendent Caruso. Thank you so much, Mayor Adams, for joining us. And thank you to all the family and friends who are here today. It is my honor to stand on this stage to recognize a room full of people who protect the cleanliness, the quality of life and the well-being of our city each and every day.
Whether you are graduating for the first time today or accepting the latest assignment in a long career, you all have one thing in common. You have chosen to serve the people and to make a career out of helping others. This is intended to be a joyous occasion, a time for celebration, a time for renewal, and it is. But before we proceed with the celebration, I must begin by acknowledging that this department and this city's hearts are heavy today. We recently lost one of New York's strongest, a man who chose to serve just as you have. Sanitation worker Richard Errico stood honorably within this department for 19 years until his tragic passing last Saturday. Our fallen brother, Richie, embodied the spirit of the strongest in everything that he did.
There is a Jewish tradition when we lose a loved one, we say, 'zikhrono livrakha,' may his memory be a blessing. I ask all of you to hold Richie and his grieving family in your thoughts and in your prayers, and please join me in a moment of silence for the memory of sanitation worker Errico. Thank you.
It is my honor to serve under Mayor Adams as this city's sanitation commissioner because it is a department of people who embody the spirit of Sanitation Worker Richard Errico, and because it is a department that is firing on all cylinders, doing more for the 8.3 million New Yorkers than ever before. We are in the midst of a trash revolution, a move to restore dignity and order to every street, every neighborhood, and every borough in this city.
By containerizing the 44 million pounds of trash left out on their curbs each day, by running the highest level of litter basket and street sweeping service this city has ever seen, by doing what so many said could never be done, providing universal curbside composting service to every resident in this city starting next week, by cleaning parts of this city in every neighborhood that for decades had been considered no man's lands, by making our highways sparkle, by enforcing in a meaningful way the basic rules around cleanliness which had been deprioritized for the better part of a decade, by clearing our streets of snow and ice more equitably and faster than ever before. The list goes on and on.
To the 140 new sanitation workers entering the department today, you have taken on a critical job, and as we've tragically been reminded, a dangerous job, a job few outside of this room can truly understand, and you have taken it on at a time when the work of this department is changing, as we are reorienting toward providing New Yorkers with a kind of service unprecedented in the history of the five boroughs. Because of you, the greatest city on earth will be the cleanest city on earth, and let me be the very first to tell you, you all look great in green.
To the eight new superintendents being promoted today, you are taking on this leadership role with more responsibilities and greater expectations than ever before. You've heard what to expect at Trash Dash, modeled on the NYPD's CompStat, but I implore you to remember that it isn't just a meeting or a chance for back and forth with the department's top leadership. It is a tool as powerful in cleaning our city as any mechanical broom or collection truck. It is a new way of doing business and measuring our performance based on data and metrics. It is designed to instill in you a sense of ownership and accountability for the quality of life in your districts.
You are now part of the leadership of this department. When you get to your districts, remember that not only will all sanitation workers and supervisors in your command depend on you, but so too will all of the residents. It is an awesome responsibility and one that I know that you are up for.
We are today welcoming 21 new sanitation police officers and two sanitation police lieutenants, yet another pair of roles that are evolving to meet the needs of a changing city. Over the past three years, our enforcement division has stepped up to the department's work around quality of life offenses in a major way, not just increasing our work around core cleanliness violations, holding the worst offenders to account, but implementing innovative technology-based solutions against the scourge of illegal dumping and taking on all new responsibilities around street vending, ghost cars, abandoned vehicles, illegal mobile car washes, and more.
New Yorkers know that the Sanitation Department will protect their quality of life. They know that all of you will stand up for safe and clean neighborhoods. This room is full of people who are committed to never letting them down. All of you are prepared for your new roles because of the dedicated staff in our division of safety and training and the training staff in our enforcement division, and we must thank them for their work getting you ready for your work. Training staff, please stand and be recognized. Thank you.
Finally, I will close with one last note of thanks, not to any of the graduates or the promotees or the senior staff, but to another group, a group without whom none of this would be possible, and that is your family and your friends. This is a wonderful job, but make no mistake about it. It is a difficult job and a demanding job. No one can do these jobs alone. I saw that firsthand during my time at the NYPD, and I see it here at the Department of Sanitation. You need people in your life who sacrifice for you, who sacrifice to make this important work possible. So please join me once more in celebrating everyone taking an oath today and all who made this possible. Thank you so much.
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