Image Credit: NYC DOB.
On May 3, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced his appointments for new leadership for the Department of Buildings. Eric Ulrich will serve as the new Commissioner of the Department of Buildings, and Kazimir Vilenchik, P.E. will serve as the new First Deputy Commissioner.
Eric Ulrich is a former Council Member, who represented District 32 in Queens from 2009 to 2021. As a Council Member, he served on the Committee on Housing and Buildings. Ulrich coordinated relief efforts to assist area residents in the rebuilding process after Superstorm Sandy. He introduced and saw the passage of legislation to assist the rebuilding process and helped in the efforts to establish a special coastal risk district in the zoning resolution, which helps signifying flooding risk in the process of city planning.
Ulrich grew up in Ozone Park, Queens, and currently lives in Rockaway Park. He is the first member in his family to earn a college degree, which he received from St. Francis College in Brooklyn and Baruch College School of Public Affairs. He currently serves as a senior advisor to Mayor Adams.
Kazimir Vilenchik, P.E. is a New York State licensed professional engineer who attended Belarussian State Polytechnic University in Minsk. He was an inspector, structural engineer, and project manager in the private sector for over 20 years before he joined the Department of Buildings in 2008 as deputy borough commissioner in Staten Island. Vilenchik served in Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn, and eventually became borough commissioner of Brooklyn in 2018. As borough commissioner, Vilenchik’s work included improving accountability and efficiency for construction processes in Brooklyn. He has also worked in the implementation of the Universal Pre-K program and worked on flood mitigation efforts after Superstorm Sandy.
As his first announcement as commissioner, Commissioner Ulrich announced via Twitter that Department of Buildings service locations are reopened to the public for full customer service for in-person and drop off transactions.
Mayor Adams stated, “Eric Ulrich and Kazimir Vilenchik are the right leadership team at the right time for the Department of Buildings. Our city and our economy cannot recover from the COVID-19 pandemic without a strong construction industry, and this team will deliver while prioritizing worker safety and customer service. I want to thank Acting Commissioner Gus Sirakis for his deep commitment and ongoing service to DOB, and I look forward to continuing my work with Commissioner Ulrich and First Deputy Commissioner Vilenchik to move our city forward.”
Incoming Commissioner Ulrich stated, “From day one, Mayor Adams has made ‘Get Stuff Done’ the motto of his administration, and this is the spirit I bring to the Department of Buildings. I will be laser-focused on raising safety standards on job sites, delivering the customer service our city deserves, and making our building industry the most sustainable in the nation. I look forward to working collaboratively across the agency and with all of the stakeholders to move our city forward.”
Incoming First Deputy Commissioner Vilenchik stated, “My focus will be on improving DOB performance, facilitating development, maintaining existing buildings, and ensuring construction safety. It is my overall goal to remove impediments to efficient operations, so that DOB can be an integral part of the New York City business development process. I want to thank Mayor Adams for giving me this opportunity, and I look forward to working with Commissioner Ulrich and my partners across the agency and in the industry to make the agency work as effectively and efficiently as possible.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)