Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958
Jack Deacy (212) 788-2969
"Over the past 38 years John Doherty has served the people of the City of New York superbly," Mayor Giuliani said. "There is no doubt in my mind that John Doherty will be remembered as one of the City's great commissioners. As he steps down, the streets of the City are the cleanest they have been in more than 20 years. His leadership of the Department during the winter of 1995-96, when the City was hit with 16 major snowstorms, was extraordinary, as New York's Strongest worked round the clock to clear 89 inches of snow. At that time, I called John Doherty 'the Admiral Nimitz of snow clearing. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I thank him for his service and wish him and his family well."
During Commissioner Doherty's four-year tenure, New York City's streets became the cleanest they have been in more than two decades. Using a scorecard rating system that began in 1975, over the past five years street cleanliness ratings have improved in every borough of the City. The cleanliness ratings in Fiscal Year '98 reached 85 percent, an all-time high. When Doherty became Sanitation Commissioner in 1994, the cleanliness rating stood at 71 percent. During his term, Doherty was also responsible for two productivity initiatives, which raised the tonnage of refuse collected on each truck shift.
Commissioner Doherty said, "This was a very difficult decision for me to make. This is a great job, and the Department of Sanitation is a great agency. But it is now time for me to move on. I have loved the years I spent with the Department and I will miss it, just as I will miss all the fine people I served with over the years."
During the Winter of 1995-96, the Department of Sanitation, under Commissioner Doherty, was faced with 16 major snowstorms that dumped 89 inches of snow on the City, the record snowfall of this century. The worst of these storms struck on January 7, 1996 when a blizzard dumped 30 inches of snow on the City. Within 24 hours of the blizzard, all the City's main traffic arteries were cleared of snow and passable. With 36 hours of the blizzard, all City streets were clear and passable.
Commissioner Doherty began his career with the Department on February 29, 1960 as a sanitation worker. He rose steadily through the ranks, becoming an Assistant Foreman, then Foreman, District Superintendent, Assistant Borough Superintendent, Assistant Chief of Snow, Chief of Bureau Operations, Director of the Bureau of Cleaning and Collection, Deputy Commissioner for Operations and First Deputy Commissioner.
In 1981, when Doherty served as the Director of the Bureau of Cleaning and Collection, he played a critical role in the implementation of the Department's most innovative productivity program, the reduction from three worker truck crews to two worker truck crews.
Doherty is a graduate of the City's Top 40 Program and in 1984 he completed the Senior Executive Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Harvard University.
He is a native of Staten Island where he still resides with his wife Janet in the Annadale section. The couple has four children and five grandchildren.