MAYOR ADAMS APPOINTS ANA ALMANZAR AS DEPUTY MAYOR FOR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the appointment of Ana Almanzar as deputy mayor for strategic initiatives, succeeding previous deputy mayor and current First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. Almanzar will assume her role in early June and oversee the same portfolio as the previous deputy mayor for strategic initiatives. 

 

“For more than a decade, Ana Almanzar has built bridges between non-profits and government,” said Mayor Adams. “From improving health outcomes in diverse communities at the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to overseeing a $25 million poverty reduction initiative on the state level, Ana has shown her ability to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New Yorkers. Moving to New York City from the Dominican Republic, she has turned her American Dream into a reality, graduating from CUNY and fighting for Latino rights. Ana continues this administration’s tradition of leadership by strong women — especially strong women of color — and I am thrilled to have her as our new deputy mayor for strategic initiatives.”

“It is my greatest honor to continue to serve my fellow New Yorkers in this capacity and to work for a visionary leader like Mayor Adams. I look forward to working alongside this talented team of deputy mayors, our chief of staff, and chief advisor, and others, and I hope to continue the great success First Deputy Mayor Wright brought to this position,” said incoming Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Ana J. Almanzar. “I bring with me many years of experience in the private, public, non-profit, and philanthropic sectors, which have prepared me to take on the role of deputy mayor for strategic initiatives with great excitement. My journey from Las Palmas-Santo Domingo to City Hall has been filled with great challenges and opportunities that made me who I am and fuel my desire to help others reach their goals and dreams. I am ready to ‘Get Stuff Done’ to build a better city for all New Yorkers.”

“I know firsthand the importance of the role of deputy mayor for strategic initiatives” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “Ana’s passion for change, past government experience, and ability to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New Yorkers is going to benefit our entire city. I’m thrilled to have Ana join this administration and lead in this incredible role.” 

 

“As a former colleague of Ana Almanzar’s, I saw firsthand a clear demonstration of the skillset needed to thrive in the role of deputy mayor for strategic initiatives,” said Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack. “With decades of experience and an endless drive, Ana is well prepared to deliver on behalf of working New Yorkers and move our city forward. I’m excited to have her join this team and, to once again call her a colleague.” 

 

“The deputy mayor for strategic initiatives role allows for endless innovation, cross-sector engagement, and the ability to deliver vital services to New Yorkers,” said Chief Advisor Ingrid Lewis Martin. “With Ana Almanzar’s proven track record of community engagement and collaboration, I’m confident in her ability to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New York City. I’m delighted to welcome Ana to the team, and I look forward to partnering with her to help move our city forward."

 

“From combatting poverty to supporting nonprofits to leading extensive community engagement, Ana Almanzar brings critical experience and skills to the strategic initiatives portfolio and beyond,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “I am excited to work side by side with Ana to deliver results for all New Yorkers.”

 

“I am excited to welcome Ana as another sister deputy mayor here at City Hall,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Her experience building partnerships and working with communities across the city and state will benefit all of us here in the halls of government and New Yorkers that will be touched by her work in the strategic initiatives portfolio.”

 

“I look forward to working with Deputy Mayor Ana Almanzar in her new role,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “Her background in working strategically with community organizations, building relationships, and spearheading major campaigns is a huge asset to this administration and to the city.”

 

“The role of deputy mayor for strategic initiatives is key to Mayor Adams’ charge that our administration be innovative and work collaboratively to break down siloes,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. “Ana Almanzar brings that creativity to the table, and knows how to get everyone on the same page to effect real change. I look forward to working with her toward an even brighter future for our city.”

 

Reporting to Deputy Mayor Almanzar will be the commissioners and executive directors of:

• Center for Innovation through Data Intelligence
• City University of the City of New York
• New York City Department of Youth and Community Development
• Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education
• Mayor’s Office of Equity
• Mayor’s Office of Food Policy
• Mayor’s Office of Nonprofits
• Mayor’s Fund and City Affiliated Nonprofits

About Ana Almanzar

Prior to her appointment, Almanzar served as the director of community relations at Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, leading an external relations strategy to advance the foundation’s public-facing agenda and promote relations with community organizations and government entities.

 

Before joining Mother Cabrini Health Foundation in 2021, Almanzar spent six years as chief of staff to the New York state director of nonprofits. During her tenure, Almanzar helped spearhead multi-platform media campaigns and public efforts throughout the state’s 10 regions. Additionally, she provided oversight of a $25 million poverty reduction initiative while assisting in the community rollout of Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative, which has now expanded to over 15 cities.

 

In 2010, Almanzar served as program manager of civic engagement, northeast at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). At NALEO, Almanzar was responsible for the development and execution of nationwide civic engagement campaigns through grassroots outreach and multimedia efforts. She also supported citizenship applications and increased community participation for local policy and political initiatives. Finally, Almanzar assisted with community outreach and relationship cultivation with key stakeholders and news outlets for high-impact marketing campaigns promoting political activities.

 

Almanzar received her associate’s degree from Eugenio Maria De Hostos Community College of The City University of New York and bachelor’s degree from Columbia University. She also holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University – School of International and Public Affairs.

 

Almanzar will report to First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright.

 

 

“Congratulations to New York City’s first Dominican Deputy Mayor Ana Almanzar. Ana has a proven track record bringing the nonprofit and government sectors together to support and strengthen New York’s diverse communities,” said Hispanic Federation President and CEO Frankie Miranda. “Ana’s appointment as the next deputy mayor for strategic initiatives is a significant step forward for our city and the administration which continues to reflect the diversity of this great city. I look forward to working with Ana and the Adams’ administration to uplift Latinos in all five boroughs.”

 

“As a Latina leader in the nonprofit sector, I applaud the appointment of Ana Almanzar, whose background in the public sector and on-the-ground knowledge of community and government relations will lend an important perspective regarding some of the major issues impacting Latinos and other minority communities in the City,” says Acacia Network CEO Lymaris Albors. “We commend the mayor on this historic appointment and look forward to working together.” 

 

"I want to thank Mayor Adams for this historic moment for the Dominican community in appointing Ana Almanzar as the next city of New York deputy mayor for strategic initiatives,” said Dominicanos USA Executive Director Eddie Cuesta. “Ana is a proven leader who will bring her vast experience working in community relations and civic engagement across nonprofit and government sectors to the Adams administration. I am sure that in her new position, she will help to build a brighter future for millions of New Yorkers.”

 

“We at the New York City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce applaud Mayor Adams for this historic appointment of Ana Almanzar as deputy mayor for strategic initiatives, as Ana will be the City’s first Dominican deputy mayor,” said New York City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President Nick Lugo. “The mayor’s appointment of Ana is a great stride forward for women and most especially for Latino women of color and for young girls as larger and larger openings in the glass ceiling is the new reality. Ana brings with her new position, a wealth of experience in working with community-based organizations and with officials from New York City, New York state and the federal government in meeting the needs of deserving New Yorkers residing in underserved communities. This is an outstanding appointment by the mayor and we at the Chamber wish Ana great success.”

 

“As a Dominican-American woman of color, I am not only excited but thrilled about Mayor Adam’s appointment of Ana Almanzar as the city's first Dominican deputy mayor,” said New York Women's Chamber of Commerce President Quenia Abreu. “There are a million Dominicans living in New York City, and as a city that is proud of its diversity and inclusion, it makes sense to appoint a smart, experienced Dominican-American woman like Ana Almanzar, who cares deeply for the people of New York City, as deputy mayor of strategic initiatives. I know she is going to represent us well and is going to do a great job in helping Mayor Adam to lead our great city. It’s about time we have a Dominican-American appointed as a deputy mayor! I applaud Mayor Adam’s decision and congratulate him on making sure the diversity of New York City is well represented in his administration.”

NYS Office of the Comptroller DiNapoli: Thruway Authority Owed More Than $275 Million in Unpaid Tolls and Fees

 

Audit Finds Nearly Half Owed by Out-of-State Drivers, Led by NJ and CT

The state’s Thruway Authority has to do a better job of identifying, billing, and collecting tolls and related fees, including $276.3 million it has a collection agency seeking as of March 2023, according to a new audit from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

"This audit has identified ways in which the Thruway can improve its collection of tolls and fees,” DiNapoli said. “Based on the Authority’s response, I’m hopeful action will be taken to implement our recommendations to maximize revenue for the Thruway.”

Tolls and related fees  make up more than 90% of the Thruway’s revenue. Ninety percent of toll revenues are from users of E-ZPass with the rest through Tolls by Mail. In 2021, the Thruway collected $804 million from tolls and related fees. Nearly half (43%) of the unpaid tolls and related fees, $119.3 million, is owed by out-of-state drivers. A substantial portion of that money is from vehicles registered in New Jersey ($34.2 million) and Connecticut ($16.7 million).

Vehicle owners get a warning if their E-ZPass account has a negative balance for over 30 days. If no payment is made in the next 30 days, the account is canceled and a $25 fee is charged. If the E-ZPass device isn’t returned another $16 fee is added. Tolls by Mail that aren’t paid in 30 days trigger a warning notice and a $5 fine. If it’s still not paid 30 days later, it is in violation and a $50 fee is added to the invoice. Thirty days after the violation notice, the Thruway can send it to a collection agency.

Lapse in Collections

During the audit period, the Thruway used two collection agencies. When the first vendor’s contract expired Sept. 15, 2020, it returned the uncollected accounts totaling $430 million to the Thruway. This included $14 million in negative balances and $416 million in tolls and related fees.

The second collection agency’s contract took effect January 2021, but the Thruway did not send it any accounts to collect until July, more than nine months after the last contract had expired. Thruway officials said the new vendor needed time to reprogram its system to incorporate revisions in toll violations and that, while there was no collection agency during this time, it continued to collect overdue payment through its in-house customer service employees.

Registration Suspension Program

The Thruway can ask the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to suspend the registration of any in-state passenger vehicles that do not pay tolls, fees, or other charges, if they have three or more violations in five years, and for commercial vehicles, if they owe $200 or more over five years. The Authority has a reciprocity agreement with Massachusetts — it’s only such agreement — to request registration suspensions there.

The Thruway halted the suspension program in January 2018 as cashless tolling was being introduced following negative press and public concerns related to system problems including erroneous billings and excessive fees It resumed the program four-and-a-half years later in July 2022, but has made very limited use of it. Separate from the accounts with the Thruway’s collection agency, auditors found 257,917 past due accounts, owing $288.4 million, that were eligible for suspension.

Of these, 49,740 customers were persistent violators that had outstanding balances every year going back to 2017. Since restarting the program, however, the Thruway has referred 60 or fewer plates per week for suspension and had just two employees assigned to the program.

Rejected License Plate Images

Auditors also found  fault with the Thruway’s  identification of license plates from the images it takes. The audit sampled 161 images that were rejected and found 11% were identifiable and billable. Auditors also estimated the Thruway missed out on billing an additional $7.2 million in tolls last year based on the number of license plate images that were rejected for reasons, such as being too dark or too bright, that were within the Thruway’s ability to fix.

DiNapoli made several recommendations to the Thruway for improving its identifying, billing and collecting tolls and related revenue to the Thruway, including that it:

• Ensure that there is a smooth transition in any change of collection vendors to avoid gaps in service.
• Establish procedures for dismissing violation fees, including the selection criteria that explain why they are being dismissed and the basis for the amounts.
• Review accounts that are eligible to have their vehicle registration suspended to determine where collection efforts will have the best results, and assess the feasibility of entering into registration suspension agreements with more states in addition to Massachusetts.
• Revise the methodology for selecting accounts to refer to DMV for suspension to target persistent violators and accounts nearing the 6-year statute of limitations.
• Ensure that all images rejected by the automated process that are identifiable manually are billed.
• Monitor trends in the incidences of rejected images and take appropriate corrective actions.

The Comptroller’s Office has another audit of the Thruway Authority’s cashless tolling program that is currently in progress, related to billing accuracy and the Authority’s Office of the Toll Payer Advocate’s handling of consumer complaints.

The Authority agreed with three of the audit’s 11 recommendations. It did not state whether it agreed or disagreed with the others, but indicated an understanding in principle. Its full response is available in the audit.

Audit

New York State Thruway Authority: Selected Aspects of Toll Collections

Related Report

Assessment of NYS Thruway Authority Finances and Proposed Toll Increases

Permits Filed For 599 Prospect Avenue In Melrose, The Bronx

 

Permits have been filed for a four-story residential building at 599 Prospect Avenue in Melrose, The Bronx. Located between East 151st Street and East 150th Street, the lot is near the 149th Street subway station, serviced by the 6 train. Simon Neiman under the Madison Tower LLC is listed as the owner behind the applications.

The proposed 51-foot-tall development will yield 5,608 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 12 residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 467 square feet. The concrete-based structure will also have a penthouse and a 35-foot-long rear yard.

ADB Associates is listed as the architect of record.

Demolition permits will likely not be needed as the lot is vacant. An estimated completion date has not been announced.

Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Bronx Business News You Can Use

Upcoming Events, Legislative News, Grant Opportunities, & More

(Friday) Extra, Extra Click here for this week's video: Small Business Resource Network Assists Thousands of Bronx Businesses Bronx Chamber, NY Yankees, and NYC SBS Bring Workforce Fair to Stadium Exploring Breweries & Makers Comes to Port Morris CUNY Diversity Conference Legislative & Advocacy Updates Trash Containerization Upcoming Events 2023 LGBTQ+ Business Convening, 5/31/2023 from 9:00am-1:00pm - LaGuardia Community College Emerging Professionals: Navigating Financial Literacy, 6/1/2023 at 5:00pm - Fokkus, 138 W. Fordham Road Business to Business Networking w. Councilmember Stevens, 6/7/2023 at 6:00pm - SUYO, 1401 Plaza Drive Joseph P. Kelleher Memorial Golf Tournament, 6/20/2023 - Trump Links at Ferry Point

SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCE NETWORK FUNDING NYC COUNCIL & NYC MAYOR MUST TAKE ACTION

In recent New York City budget negotiations, NYC Mayor Eric Adams did not include a signature small business service program, the Small Business Resource Network. The program, one of the great successes assisting small businesses through COVID-19 and recovery, provided a new model for high touch, immediate, and customized business services that have not been offered in New York City. The program, largely more effective and impactful, then other models, has assisted more than 10,000 businesses, with over 3,000 Bronx businesses becoming full program participants. The program employs over 35 small business resource specialists, provides real time business data and timely, customized services, and most importantly bridges the divide between small businesses and government agencies. We are calling on the Mayor and the New York City Council to step up and fully fund this vital program supporting thousands of small businesses with real, tangible results which stabilize our communities and local economies.

BRONX CHAMBER, NY YANKEES, & NYC SMALL BUSINESS SERVICES LAUNCH WORKFORCE EVENT

The Bronx Chamber is serious about workforce opportunities. The Bronx Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the NY Yankees, NYC Mayor's Office for Workforce and Talent Development, and NYC Department of Small Business Services, a Bronx Hiring and Workforce Development Fair was launched at Yankee Stadium. The purpose, simple - match prospective employees and entrepreneurs with anchor institutional employers throughout the borough to hire talent and expand economic opportunities. We thank the Private Industry anchor organizations for your support of this initiative and look forward to exciting opportunities on the horizon for Bronxites, by Bronxites. For more information, sbrn@bronxchamber.org

EXPLORING BREWERIES & MAKERS NETWORKING RECEPTION

It's all about the networking. The Bronx Chamber of Commerce hosts some of the most interesting and impactful networking receptions in the Bronx. Exploring Breweries & Makers in Port Morris was a great way to welcome Spring and the unofficial start of Summer in one of the most historic industrial areas on the Bronx. The Bronx Chamber team is grateful to the Bronx Brewery and Empanology for hosting us and to the many entrepreneurs, businesses, makers, and creatives that attended. Not a member yet? Get access to member events. Join by emailing membership@bronxchamber.org

CUNY DIVERSITY CONFERENCE BRINGS CHAMBER RESOURCES TO BUSINESSES

Cultivating Diversity & Procurement in NYC. The Bronx Chamber of Commerce partnered with CUNY, and New York City Department of Small Business Services for the CUNY Diversity and Procurement Conference, speaking on Doing Business in NYC with NYC SBS Commissioner Kevin Kim, CUNY Trustees, and Brooklyn Chamber President Randy Peers. On site were Bronx Chamber team members sharing vital information on MWBE procurement and certification. Interested in certification? Email: programs@bronxchamber.org

LEGISLATIVE & ADVOCACY UPDATES

Int. 891 Signed into Law - 50/50 Charity Fundraising   The Bronx Chamber joined Mayor Eric Adams, the NY Yankees, Councilmember Rafael Salamanca, Jr, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, and community and philanthropic leaders for the signing of Int. 891, known as the 50/50 Raffle Law. The law, introduced by CM Salamanca enables charities to raise funds through 50/50 raffles during sporting events at major stadiums like Yankee Stadium. Learn more: email, mbrady@bronxchamber.org

UPCOMING EVENTS

Emerging Professionals: Navigating Financial Literacy June 1 at 5:00pm Fokkus Cocine, 138 West Fordham Road Bronx, NY Join The Bronx Chamber of Commerce, Councilmember Pierina Sanchez - District 14, and NYC Department of Small Business Services for an evening on financial literacy and tips on how you can make smart decisions to benefit your bottom line. A deep dive into financial decision making, business advice, and how emerging professionals can build wealth with strong financial planning. Reserve Your Spot

Business to Business Networking Reception June 7 at 6:00pm SUYO, 1401 Plaza Drive Bronx, NY Join the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, Councilmember Althea Stevens (District 16), and New York City Department of Small Business Services for a Business to Business Networking reception for merchants, entrepreneurs, and businesses in Council District 16. During the event, businesses will have an opportunity to network and learn about Year 1 business data, challenges and opportunities within CD 16, how to become M/WBE certified, and the Small Business Resource Network. Reserve Your Spot

Joseph P. Kelleher Memorial Golf Tournament June 20 at 7:30am Trump Links at Ferry Point, 500 Hutchinson River Parkway Bronx, NY.  Over 200 notable thought partners, colleagues in business, and influential New Yorkers will tee off for the 2023 Joseph P. Kelleher Memorial Golf Tournament at Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point. The 2023 Tournament features two (2) tee times, breakfast, lunch, cocktails, and the 2023 Awards Dinner honoring NYC Housing, Preservation, and Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrion, Jr.  Reserve Your Spot

For the complete Bronx Chamber Events Calendar, featuring educational workshops, networking events and other opportunities hosted by the Chamber, its members, & partners, please visit and bookmark our website events calendar link in your browser - new events are added weekly!