With Patricia Lancaster's resignation as Buildings Commissioner after a series of high-profile construction-related fatalities and department snafus, the reaction is one of relief from some politicians while developers are sad.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who has been unhappy with the DOB for a while, said, "The time had come for new leadership at this department," and City Council member Jessica Lappin said, "I think it was appropriate and necessary...I want to thank her for being so honest and forthright over the last few weeks and for her service over the last few years - but given the challenges the department faces, I think it's appropriate to have some new leadership."
However, developers defended Lancaster; developer Douglas Durst said, "She did a terrific job in getting the department back on track." The Buildings Department has been notoriously corrupt; the Times pointed out an article from 1871 with the headline, "Disgraceful Corruption in the Department of Buildings" (the department accepted bribes). And Stringer did add, "The problem before us is not the making of a single person.”
The executive director of the AIA's NY chapter, Frederic Bell, told the Sun, Lancaster's resignation was a "travesty." Bell also said, "I don’t think anyone, even some of the people that are so rightfully concerned about development, think that New York should become a museum city where nothing gets developed and built."
Photograph of Bloomberg at Lancaster's swearing-in back in 2002
