This was another productive and successful year for the Office of the Public Advocate. In the past year, Betsy Gotbaum pushed for the clean-up of environmental hazards at parks and schools; exposed the Department of Education’s failure to meet state requirements for physical education and arts instruction; produced the first of its kind comprehensive guide to city services for immigrants; and introduced legislation to protect residents’ health by forcing landlords to remediate mold and pest infestations in city apartments (among other accomplishments).
The Office of the Public Advocate also initiated, in partnership with the mayor’s office, the largest survey of its
None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the Public Advocate staff. This year, the Ombudsman unit helped more that 12,000 individuals get access to vital city services like public housing, food stamps and special education services. The community affairs staff, who serve as Betsy’s eyes and ears in all five boroughs, helped to facilitate a series of community discussions on gang activity as well as a citywide Healthy Kids Summer Wellness Tour to make sure that parents take early steps to ensure their children are healthy. To learn more about the work of the Office of the Public click here to read the 2008 annual report [pdf].
Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year from all of us at the Office of the Public Advocate.
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