Oddo: Replacing Buildings Commissioner Isn't Enough

City Councilman Jimmy Oddo, who has been critical of the city's Department of Buildings for years, said that getting rid of the commissioner, as Michael Bloomberg just did, should just be the beginning.

“You can replace [Commissioner] Patricia Lancaster with the most talented person in the world, and if you don’t provide this department with resources to put boots on the ground, you’ll have the same results for the last couple of years,” Oddo said.

“Just changing commissioners without giving it additional resources is not enough. And that’s coming from me. I’m not a guy who believes in throwing money at a problem."

Oddo acknowledged the agency has had a slight increase in funding and manpower, but said, “Now, juxtapose that with the level of growth we’ve had over the last six years, and I say it’s not enough.”