“With all of the new development coming into Yonkers,
its important that we have a working, effective building
department. I thank the Mayor for addressing this issue,
which is the #1 problem that I hear about in Yonkers. You
don’t have to be a licensed engineer to run the Building De
partment, you need a professional manager and Sam Borrelli
brings the management experience that we were looking for,”
--City Council Majority Leader Mike Breen
By Dan Murphy
With the recent retirements of the Yonkers Building Commissioner and Deputy Building Commissioner, Mayor Mike Spano has brought in Sam Borrelli, to serve as acting Building Commissioner, in an effort to improve the services to the people of Yonkers.
Borrelli, who has worked as the Deputy Commissioner of the Yonkers DPW until his transfer to the Building Department, is an engineer, but not a licensed, profressional engineer, which is a requirement for the positon based on the City Charter.
City Council Majority Leader Mike Breen has drafted legislation to amend the Charter to permit Borrelli to become the permanent Building Commissioner. “The mayor wanted to expand the pool of qualified candidates to find someone who can effectively run the Building Department. You don’t have to be a licensed engineer to run the Building Department, you need a professional manager and Sam Borrelli is a practical engineer who was gettings things done at DPW, and also brings the management experience that we were looking for. That is why I have drafted and sponsored this legislation,” said Councilmember Breen.
The Local Law would amend the City Charter to remove the words “professional engineer.” Breen said he has heard from numerous residents in Yonkers about some of the problems they have experienced from the Building Department.
“We want to alleviate these problems and get a building department that is functioning better. That is why the Mayor has appointed Sam Borrelli to this important position,” said Breen
Borrelli is currently working in the Building Department to “clear the logjam” of projects and paperwork that has piled up. Breen said one Yonkers resident told him that when she was going to sell her house, she found an open permit from 1947, that had to be cleared up.
“With all of the new development coming into Yonkers, its important that we have a working, effective building department. I thank the Mayor for addressing this issue, which is the #1 problem that I hear about in Yonkers,” said Breen.
“Mayor Spano has been able to make improvements to our water system and cut back in overtimes costs, and I support his efforts and changes in the Building Department.