Department of Buildings Commissioner Rick Chandler Steps Down
The agency’s first deputy commissioner Thomas Fariello will serve as the acting buildings commissioner, effective February 1.
NEW YORK CITY—Rick Chandler, PE, commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings is retiring after working for the city for 31 years. He has served in the department for 20 years, four as the commissioner. Thomas Fariello, RA, who is the agency’s first deputy commissioner will step into the role of acting buildings commissioner on Feb. 1, 2019.
The city credits Chandler with leading a comprehensive modernization of the department. This included launching DOB NOW, an online public portal for doing business with the department, and hiring more than 230 new inspectors and 150 technical staff. The city states this resulted in significantly faster permit reviews and inspections of construction sites and 311 phone call complaints.
“When I took office, I called for a fundamental reform of the Buildings Department and I am grateful to Commissioner Chandler for helping deliver on that promise,” says Mayor Bill de Blasio. “As buildings commissioner, Rick presided over an unprecedented building boom while at the same time launching an aggressive modernization plan to give the public faster service and greater transparency about DOB’s operations.”
The outgoing commissioner expressed appreciation for the mayor’s support and the investments made in the department.
“Our modernization plan is delivering quicker plan reviews and improved response times, bringing new clarity and consistency to agency operations, strengthening enforcement, and promoting the highest standards of integrity, both in the construction industry and within DOB,” says Chandler.
Carlo Scissura, president and CEO of the New York Building Congress, thanked Chandler for his years of public services and congratulated Fariello. In a statement sent to GlobeSt.com, Scissura notes, “Commissioner Chandler made a tremendous impact on New York’s building community by overseeing New York’s current building boom, increasing transparency and bringing DOB into the digital age, and making construction sites around the city safer, among many other accomplishments.”
Fariello, is a New York State registered architect with more than 30 years of experience in architecture and construction. He became first deputy commissioner in 2011. In 2003, Fareillo had served as deputy borough commissioner in Brooklyn, subsequently becoming the borough commissioner for Brooklyn and the Bronx. Fareillo also worked in the private sector as an architect and as a plan examiner with the New York City School Construction Authority.
The mayor’s press office points out that the department’s regulations and safety standards cover nearly 1.1 million buildings and more than 45,000 active construction sites in the city.