The Downtown Alliance honored seven public servants who have been helpful to Lower Manhattan and the Alliance at its annual awards ceremony at Ketch Restaurant last week.
Joseph Riley, inspector for the New York Police Department, was honored for his efforts to maintain the police presence in the Downtown area as well as dealing with noise violations, traffic mobility and street vendors in the Business Improvement District.
Judy Duffy, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s administrative director of transit and Community Board 1’s former assistant district manager, received an award for helping the Downtown Alliance to resolve issues such as broken sidewalks, construction debris and pedestrian flow caused by the construction of the Fulton Transit Center.
“Judy Duffy is very knowledgeable of who the stakeholders are,” said Liz Berger, president of the Downtown Alliance, “and she knows that she can’t change the big picture, but it’s the little things that can.”
Berger was a C.B. 1 member when Duffy worked for the community board.
The Port Authority’s Janet Cox, general manager of ferry development, and Amit Bhowmick, ferry program manager, were the co-recipients of the public servants award for providing the Alliance with data on ferry ridership and an insight into the Port Authority’s policies and service plans.
Ronald Cohen, deputy commissioner for investigation and enforcement at the business integrity commission, was honored for managing the investigation of the private carting industry, the public wholesale market and the shipboard gambling industry. Cohen also coordinated meetings that led to the removal of the garbage generated by retailers along Fulton St.
Tom Foley, assistant commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction, was recognized for helping the Alliance develop Re:Construction, a project to spruce up construction barriers with art work.
Josh Wallack, senior policy advisor to Deputy Mayor Bob Lieber, was honored for his two-year effort to revitalize Fulton St. and improve the area around the New York Stock exchange.
“They are [all] public servants in the best sense of the word,” Berger said in a telephone interview, “and I hope the Downtown community recognizes them as such.”
— Sebastian Kahnert
