Sources: James Oddo, former Staten Island borough president, to take top spot at Department of Buildings
NEW YORK -- On the heels of a devastating parking garage collapse in Lower Manhattan, Mayor Eric Adams is picking a new head of the Department of Buildings.
Sources tell CBS2 that the mayor has decided to name James Oddo, the former Staten Island borough president and a Republican, to the position.
Oddo, who is currently chief of staff for Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi, will be taking over at a difficult moment for the agency, following last week's deadly collapse of the 100-year-old parking garage that killed one person and injured seven.
At the time of the collapse, the building had four open violations.
Oddo will be replacing another Republican, Eric Ulrich, a former city councilman who resigned last November.
Although Ulrich hasn't been charged with any crime, his resignation came after reports that he was being questioned by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in connection with an illegal gambling investigation.
Kazimir Vilenchik, the first deputy commissioner, has been serving as acting commissioner of the Department of Buildings since Ulrich resigned.
In the new job, Oddo will apparently have to oversee inspections at some 4,000 parking garages. There are reports that say 61 of the garages have open violations.
The Department of Buildings will also have a major role in enforcing a new local law that puts limits on the carbon emissions of buildings. It goes into effect in January.
