BY BILL PARRY
New York City Parks Commissioner
Mitchell J. Silver
announced this week he would
step down from his post in late
spring after having served
since May 2014.
During his tenure, which is
the fourth longest for a parks
commissioner, Silver brought
the parks system into the 21st
century through design and
capital process reform, delivering
more than 800 capital
projects representing Mayor
Bill de Blasio’s $1.85 billion
park investment, equitably
benefiting New Yorkers of all
means, ages and abilities.
“Parks have offered a solace
for so many New Yorkers
during the darkest days of
the pandemic,” de Blasio said.
“And no one has been a better
steward for our parks than
Mitchell Silver. He has overseen
the improvement of parks
across the five boroughs and
made them a welcoming place
for everyone. All New Yorkers
are better off for his service.”
In Queens, the Parks Department
has invested more
than $419 million in the borough’s
parks and green spaces
during Silver’s seven-year tenure.
Of the more than 800 capital
projects completed under
Silver’s administration, 209
are in Queens.
“I thank Mayor de Blasio
for giving me the privilege to
help NYC Parks and our parks
system, making them more equitable,
inclusive and resilient
over the past seven years,” Silver
said. “I am grateful to have
worked with the amazing NYC
Parks leadership team, as well
as the dedicated Parks staff
who keep our parks safe, clean
and accessible, especially
through this global pandemic.
Serving as commissioner has
been the highest honor of my
career. I also thank my colleagues
in government, conservancy
TIMESLEDGER | Q 4 NS.COM | MAY 7-MAY 13, 2021
partners and volunteers
for making this job the
best experience of my life.”
In October, Silver helped
cut the ribbon at Astoria Park,
marking the completion of the
first phase of a $30 million reconstruction
project. In July,
he did the same at Flushing
Meadow Corona Park where
the entrance of the park at
111th Street was reconstructed
as part of a $4.5 million
project that welcomes visitors
and leads them directly to the
Unisphere.
“Mitchell Silver brought
a wealth of experience, business
savvy and dedication
to the Parks Department,”
said Councilman Peter Koo,
the chairman of the Committee
on Parks and Recreation.
“Under his leadership, New
Yorkers got an administration
that worked to streamline the
capital process and give our
city residents greater access
to modernized open space. I
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver Courtesy of NYC Parks
sincerely thank him for his
service, and wish him well in
his endeavors.”
Silver will join the private
sector in North Carolina as a
principal of McAdams, a civil
engineering, planning and
landscape architecture firm
where he will support the company’s
philanthropy efforts
to help the environment and
communities in need.
Councilman Franciso
Moya is grateful for working
with Silver.
“Since joining the City
Council, we’ve had the opportunity
to partner on capital
projects and bring much-needed
resources to make Queens
parks, especially in my district,
spaces New Yorkers can
be proud of,” Moya said. “And
who can forget the album cover
for the unveiling of Fountain
of the Fairs? I wish Mitchell all
the best in his new endeavor.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@schneps
media.com or by phone at (718)
260–4538.
Parks Commissioner Silver to step
down after overseeing more than
200 capital projects in Queens
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