Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn said, \u201cThe Council recently enacted a local law that included significant improvements to the City\u2019s Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) program. However, the MWBE program will only succeed if it is nurtured and overseen at the highest level of government. By issuing an executive order appointing the Deputy Mayor for Operations as the Director of Agency MWBE Compliance to administer the MWBEStat system created in the law, Mayor Bloomberg has established the right tone for effective MWBE oversight. MWBEStat can only work with this sort of Mayoral level attention. This executive order builds on the Council\u2019s ongoing efforts with the Mayor to ensure that MWBEs participate meaningfully in the City\u2019s economy and marks another significant step forward in strengthening the MWBE program. Along with the recent improvements the Council made to the City\u2019s program, including lifting the cap on the size of contracts covered under the law, MWBEs will have significantly better access to City contracting opportunities. This will help grow these businesses as well as the City\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank Mayor Bloomberg for working with the Council to make sure that improving opportunities for MWBEs continues to be a top priority for the City. I also want to thank the experts who worked with us on this legislation, in particular Rev. Jacques DeGraff and Sandra Wilkin, for their tireless work on behalf of MWBEs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway said, \u201cThe recent enactment of a revised Local 129 is another step forward in our efforts to help small businesses – and particularly minority- and women-owned companies – compete for and win City work. Since Local Law 129 was first enacted in 2005, MWBEs have won more than 45,000 contracts valued at over $3 billion. With the new law in place and the support we are going to provide City agencies to achieve its goals, we\u2019ll ensure that many more businesses have the opportunity to work for the City of New York; that\u2019s good for business and good for City taxpayers who benefit from the higher quality services and lower prices that result from robust competition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Contracts Committee Chair Darlene Mealy said, \u201cI am very happy that the City is doing more to help level the playing field in City procurement. Establishing greater oversight of the MWBE program will help to ensure that it continues to improve, expanding opportunities for minorities and women in business. I look forward to seeing more MWBEs securing City contracts, and I thank Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn and advocates for their work on this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reverend Jacques Andre De Graff, First Vice President of 100 Black Men said, \u201cAs with any policy, the question of who is carrying out the policy is as important as the policy itself. We have great confidence in Cas Holloway as the Director of Agency Compliance with the City’s Minority and Women Owned Business (MWBE) program. This appointment sets the right precedent and establishes the high level of accountability that this legislation was always intended to have. I want to thank Mayor Bloomberg for signing this executive order and Speaker Quinn and the Council for passing this important legislation into law.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sandra Wilkin, Co-Chairperson of the New Agenda and President-Emeritus of the Women Builders Council said, \u201cAppointing the Deputy Mayor for Operations to oversee the MWBE program will go a long way towards ensuring agency compliance with the provisions of Local Law 1. In many ways, this is the most important aspect of the new law.\u201d<\/p>\n
NYS Federation of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce President Alfred Placeres said, \u201cOur Hispanic chambers applaud the Mayor\u2019s selection. Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway\u2019s record as the Commissioner of NYC Department of Environmental Protection was exemplary. He is exactly the kind of person we need to oversee the City\u2019s MWBE program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooklyn (Kings County) Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President Rick Miranda said, \u201cImproved oversight will help to ensure that the City is meeting its MWBE goals. I thank Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn and my fellow advocates for their efforts to support MWBE\u2019s meaningful involvement in City procurement and the economy at large.\u201d<\/p>\n
###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn said, \u201cThe Council recently enacted a local law that included significant improvements to the City\u2019s Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) program. However, the MWBE program will only succeed if it is nurtured and overseen at the highest level of government. By issuing an executive order appointing the Deputy Mayor for Operations as the Director of Agency MWBE Compliance to administer the MWBEStat system created in the law, Mayor Bloomberg has established the right tone for effective MWBE oversight.<\/p>\n
…<\/p>\n