“Throughout his career, both in City government and in the nonprofit sector, Rafael has embodied the best of what public service can be. During his five years at the City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, he put his unique brand of innovation and pragmatism to work in advancing our mission to strengthen our neighborhoods and create a more affordable and sustainable city for all New Yorkers.

“Rafael was instrumental in the development of the New Housing Marketplace Plan and led the launch of the updated plan to keep the City on track to meet the goal of 165,000 affordable housing units by 2014. Under his leadership, the City also launched the most aggressive foreclosure prevention program in the nation, created a $750 million initiative to stabilize distressed multi-family properties, and – as we announced just last week –transformed the process for inspecting and addressing troubled buildings from one that waits for tenant complaints to one that uses data to identify issues proactively.

“When he returned to City service, Rafael made significant sacrifices, including living apart from his wife and children. I want to thank them all for what they’ve done to help us make New York City a better place to live. I’m glad Rafael will stay through March to help with his transition. I know he will thrive in his new role and wish him well in this next chapter of his life.”

Statement of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Rafael E. Cestero:

“It has been an honor to serve the people of New York as HPD’s Commissioner under the leadership of Mayor Bloomberg. I will truly miss working with the dedicated team at HPD, and the unique challenges of advancing the mission of the largest municipal housing preservation and development agency in the country. What we have accomplished together at HPD is remarkable by any definition and I could not be prouder to have been a part of it. I am grateful to Mayor Bloomberg for having trusted me to lead this extraordinary agency and for his unwavering belief that our best days as a city are still in front of us. I am confident we have built a strong foundation from which HPD will continue to protect our City’s tenants and expand and preserve its affordable housing stock for generations to come.”