May 31, 2024 NYC Office of the Mayor
Lieutenant Jack Conway, Ceremonial Unit, Police Department: Thank you, Chaplain Dr. Lewis Martin. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. I'd like to thank the NYPD band and our multi-agency color guard for their performance today. Thank you, guys.
At this time, it is my pleasure to introduce the members seated on our dais. Please hold all your applause until all have been introduced. Seated in the first row on my right, the police commissioner of the City of New York, Dr. Edward Caban, senior advisor to the mayor, Timothy Pearson, deputy mayor for Strategic Initiatives, Ana Almanzar, deputy mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce, Maria Torres-Springer, the mayor of the City of New York, the Honorable Eric Adams, first deputy mayor, Sheena Wright, chief advisor to the mayor, Chaplain Dr. Ingrid Lewis-Martin, chief of staff to the mayor, Camille Joseph-Varlack, director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Tiffany Raspberry, chief of Counsel, Lisa Zornberg, director of the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, Deanna Logan.
Seated in our second row, Taxi and Limousine commissioner, David Do, Department of Environmental Protection, chief of department, Frank Milazzo, New York City sheriff, Anthony Miranda, Health and Hospitals Police Department and System Security, chief security officer, Juan Checo, Administration of Children's Services commissioner, Jess Dannhauser, [Parks] commissioner, Sue Donoghue, Corrections commissioner, Lynelle McGinley-Liddie, Probation commissioner, Juanita Holmes, Fire commissioner, Laura Kavanagh, Social Services commissioner, Molly Wasow-Park, Human Resources administrator, Scott French, Department of Homeless Services administrator, Jocelyn Carter, Citywide Administrative Services commissioner, Dawn Pinnock, Emergency Management commissioner, Zach Iscol. Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, deputy chief, Melinda Rogers, State Assemblymember Jennifer Rajkumar, City Councilmember Vickie Paladino, Police Department Chaplain Reverend Michael Lopez, and corp counsel, Sylvia Hinds-Radix. Ladies and gentlemen, this is our dais, and we thank them for being here today. Now it's my pleasure to introduce the Mayor's Chief of Staff, Camille Joseph-Varlack.
Camille Joseph Varlack, Chief of Staff to the Mayor: Good morning to my esteemed colleagues, our distinguished guests, and most importantly, the dedicated men and women of our public safety agencies.
My name is Camille Joseph Varlack, and I serve as chief of staff to the mayor. Every single day, this administration is laser-focused on protecting public safety, rebuilding our economy, and creating a more livable city for working-class New Yorkers. On this day, I join you with a deep sense of gratitude and admiration. As chief of staff, and most importantly, as a New Yorker, it is my privilege to acknowledge and thank the numerous public safety agencies in New York City who work tirelessly to keep our city safe, maintain our quality of life, and help us maintain our status as the greatest city in the world.
Day in and day out, you confront challenges head-on, challenges that, to be very direct about it, most people do not and cannot understand. Your vigilance and dedication make New York City a better place for all who call this city home. Your contributions, some of which may go unseen, are crucial to the seamless operation and overall success of our city. In this city that never sleeps, you are the guardians who stand watch, ensuring that New Yorkers can live, work, and thrive in peace.
Your dedication and sacrifice embody the spirit of service and exemplify what it means to be a public servant. We owe you an immense debt of gratitude. Mayor Adams and the entire team are committed to supporting you in every way possible. We will continue to invest in the resources, training, and support you need to carry out your vital missions. Together, we will build a safer, stronger, and more resilient New York City. To each and every one of you, thank you. Thank you for your service, thank you for your sacrifice, and thank you for your unwavering commitment to our great city. You are the heroes of New York, and we are forever grateful. It is now my pleasure to introduce the 110th mayor of New York City, Mayor Eric Adams.
Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much. I'm not sure if he's still holding her, but there's a gentleman in the back wearing a green shirt holding a baby. Can you stand up for one moment? Can you just stand up? I want us to turn around and I want us to look at him. I saw him as we were giving our Pledge of Allegiance, and I looked at and gazed at him as he was holding his child. I want to first thank you for being here, and can one of the officers escort him up here to the stage with us, because it should be a constant reminder to all of us why we are here. This city has so many levels of complexities. There's so many dealings that we have to do every day. There's so many decisions that this amazing team of mine must make. There's so many moments when there's a level of uncertainties. There's so many times that we have to sit down and figure out how do we navigate the challenges, the legal challenges, the incoming, the constant reminders.
When you ever lose sight, remember this sight. Remember this baby and the dad, I hope. Please have my seat. because this is what I remember. This is what I remember. I remember being in the delivery room when Jordan was born and a doctor reached to take him out of his mother's womb and I moved the doctor's hand away and said, I want to be the first person to touch my son. I remember watching him as he played soccer and basketball. I remember going to his graduation ceremonies. I remember how proud I was when he attended college and the moments that his facial hair started to grow and his voice became deeper. No matter what he became, he was still my baby. He was still my son. No matter what happens, we need to remember that it's about that bond right there. It's about our children that we are fighting for.
This team that's on this stage, each one of them, they have their own individual narratives and lives and stories. As I was coming inside the room hearing Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer proudly talk about her two babies that are young gymnasts in this city, I hear about First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and her commitment and dedication from the United Way and now becoming the first woman of color to be a first deputy mayor in this city in a countless number of hours. Commissioner Zach Iscol, who partnered with Deputy Mayor Williams-Isom as they deal with the incoming of 190,000 migrants and asylum seekers and at the same time set to deal with the issues of their families and loved ones.
People want to give the appearance, people who are members of the law enforcement community all of a sudden because you adorn a uniform that you no longer have the same pains and struggles that every New Yorker experience. You dedicate your lives to water the tree of freedom so others consider that tree of hope and opportunity. I thank you. I attended three promotional ceremonies when I was a police officer from police officer to sergeant, from sergeant to lieutenant and from lieutenant to captain. Each moment brought a new level of thrill and excitement of going to the next level and ensuring that I could continue to use my skills for those that are behind me. Your role is so important as a supervisor. It has almost been watered down. You move from a place of just being one of the guys and one of the girls to being able to determine how they effectively carry out their job.
What we had to do, we had to do what the bad guys of this city have been doing for so long. They were unified. They were unified in their destruction. They were unified in their saturation of fear. They were unified in how they were harming innocent people of this city. We were so disjointed because of the color of our uniform or what our patches stated instead of realizing we were one team. Even if there were different jerseys, we were team public safety. We were team public safety campus as bringing all of that experience together.
We will learn from the Department of Correction and how they're able to identify gang behavior within their walls. We will learn from the Department of Probation as they see those probationary individuals who are continuously committing crimes or who are attempting to turn their lives around. We will learn from Sue Donoghue, the commissioner of Parks Police, as they look at what is taking place on our parks and other green spaces. Much information we can get from ACS as they are early advisors when they see young people that are in dangerous environments. Think about the coordination we could have by merely what we're seeing with Sheriff Miranda closing down hundreds of illegal cannabis shops that are preying on our young children. This is the coordination we are talking about. This is how you build a law enforcement apparatus that we can respond to the crises that we know are important for us to face day to day.
As I look over the audience, I couldn't help but notice my good friend Gregory Floyd, who's head of one of our law enforcement entities, a constant voice to push back on those who want to erode our safety in our school system. He was one of the leading voices when people were saying take out school safety officers from our schools while our children were calling for them to remain in there. Thank you, President Floyd, for what you have done, and we will continue to be a partner. We won't move school safety agents from our schools because I'm the mayor of the City of New York. Our children will get the safety that they deserve.
All of you who are here, DCAS, DOC, DEP, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, DEP, Homeless Services, New York City Parks, Department of Probation, NYCEM, FDNY, H + H, Human Resources Police, NYPD, NYC Sheriff, TLC, and DSNY, who no promotee is here today but will be part of this Public Safety Academy. We actualized what the concept was.
That is why we put in place the deputy mayor of public safety having experience as the chief of the Police Department when he served us. He knew what the vision looked like, and we knew we could make it happen. This academy is crucial, and it sits in the spirit of Johnathan Diller, Detective Johnathan Diller, young man in the prime of his life. When I think about one of our promotees today, not here but will be at the Police Academy with Commissioner Caban, Jennifer Nicalek, part of my security detail, it was her cousin. It was her cousin. Those of you who have other law enforcement members in your family, after receiving terrible notifications you still have to put on that uniform. You still have to go out and serve and protect. To Jennifer and all of you, I say thank you. I was proud to be a member of the New York City Police Department.
I was proud to start out in the New York City Transit Police Department. I was proud of my cousins that joined me. I was proud of my kid brother that retired as a sergeant. Men and women who put on these uniforms, they're the best of what we have to offer this city. I thank you for your service. As we promote you to the next level of your responsibility and obligation, you serve us proud. I will be remiss as I talk about proper service without acknowledging the final day of my corporation counsel, Judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix. Not only does she serve this city as an attorney, as a judge, but also as our Corporation Counsel. Look over the last two years and six months and look at the challenges we face.
Challenging cannabis legislation, challenging legal maneuvers we had to do with migrants and asylum seekers. Challenges around how we police and protect this city. Leading a group of lawyers larger than any major law firm in the country. She did it in a way with a level of dignity that I respect. I thank her for her service. I thank her for her dedication to the people of this city. I want to bring my team here on the stage with me. We don't do it alone. We do it together. One team. This is the greatest city on the globe. Don't let anyone kid you. I say it over and over again. There's only two types of Americans: those who live in New York, and those who wish they could. We're the lucky ones. We live in the greatest city, and if we're the greatest city, you’re the greatest law enforcement community on the globe. Congratulations to my honorees and my promotees. Thank you very much.
Lieutenant Conway: Thank you, Mayor Adams. At this time, I ask all promotees to please rise at their seats for the administration of the oath of office by the First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright.
First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright: Congratulations to all of the promotees. You have distinguished yourself. You've done the hard work and are now about to take an oath to perform another level of responsibility. You take that oath in the presence of your family and friends, the people who love and support you, in the presence of your colleagues, and in the presence of the mayor of the City of New York and the leadership of this administration.
I want to say that because this is an important moment. We respect you. We honor you. We're proud of you as you take this next step. We congratulate you. If everyone can please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I do hereby pledge and declare that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New York and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of my new position and title in my agency according to the best of my ability. So help me God. Congratulations.
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