Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced the completion of the archives of the City's 106th Mayor, David Dinkins, during a reception in honor of Black History Month at Gracie Mansion. A detailed index of the Dinkins Archive will now be available to the public through the City's Department of Records and Information Services.  Mayor Bloomberg also honored five outstanding African American City employees today for their service and commitment to the City of New York. Mayor Bloomberg was joined in honoring Black History Month by Mayor David Dinkins and Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott.

"Many of the most important chapters of our nation's black history have been written in New York City," said Mayor Bloomberg.  "By making the records of our City's first African American Mayor, David Dinkins, open to the public, we honor a true pioneer who has given his heart and soul to this City, and we preserve his legacy for generations to come. As we celebrate Black History month, we not only remember the civil rights leaders that changed the history of our country, we also honor the unsung heroes of City government whose contributions continue to impact our City's future."

The Bloomberg Administration provided the necessary funding to begin archiving the records of Mayor Dinkins. The Department of Records inventoried and indexed over 2,300 cubic feet of materials, or nearly six million pages of documents from Mayor Dinkins, his Deputy Mayors and other key aides of his administration. A searchable topical index of the Dinkins Administration's papers, correspondence, photographs and audio tapes can now be found on the City's official website www.nyc.gov. All the materials in the database will now be available at the Municipal Archives located in the Surrogate's Court Building in Location Manhattan.

Five Commissioners of New York City agencies were asked to nominate employees in their respective agencies to be recognized for outstanding public service. The agencies are: Department of Consumer Affairs, Department of Transportation, Human Resources Administration, Office of Emergency Management, Office of Management and Budget . Mayor Bloomberg recognized the following honorees:

Tara Boirard is the Assistant Director of the Housing & Economic Development Task Force at the Office of Management & Budget (OMB).  Working in this position since July 2006, she manages the details of a $7 billion capital program and the expense budgets of several City agencies including the Departments of Housing Preservation and Development, Buildings, Small Business Services and City Planning.  She started with OMB in 2000, leaving for a period to work on the development of affordable housing at the New York City Housing Authority.  She returned to OMB in early 2004 where she served as the unit head for housing and subsequently served as the unit head for economic development.

Ronnie Clemons is an Enforcement Division Inspector for the Department of Consumer Affairs.  Since the spring of 1987, he has been providing the public with ethical, responsive and reliable service.  He is known as an inspector who can not only appropriately assess potential violations, but also professionally and respectfully address the questions and concerns he hears from the businesses he visits. 

Amber Greene is the Ready New York Coordinator in the Office of Emergency Management (OEM). The campaign has expanded into nine preparedness guides in 13 languages, an 80+ member speakers' bureau that gives 250 presentations a year, a robust website and semi-annual advertising campaigns.  Ms. Greene has given over 85 Ready New York presentations and heads the Ready New York Board which consists of several OEM staff members and Commissioner Joe Bruno. She has implemented several innovative and diverse initiatives to ensure the message of emergency preparedness reaches millions of New Yorkers.

Leon Heyward is the Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Sidewalks and Inspection Management for the Department of Transportation (DOT). Mr. Heyward is responsible for citywide sidewalk repairs, pedestrian ramp installations and concrete projects.  He also oversees the Highway Inspection and Quality Assurance (HIQA) unit which enforces the rules that govern work being done on the City's streets and highways and DOT's Emergency Response Unit which monitors and responds to incidents throughout the five boroughs and plays a significant role in the City's response to major disasters. He has worked at DOT for nearly 20 years.

Cecile Noel is the Deputy Commissioner in the Office of Domestic Violence and Emergency Intervention Services for the Human Resources Administration (HRA).  With a career spanning more than 18 years in public service in New York City, including crisis management at Health and Hospitals' Prison Health Program and administering HRA's ODVEIS, which includes the largest Domestic Violence Services Program for New Yorkers, she has offered her broad expertise and stellar work ethic to bring about pivotal change.  Under her leadership at Domestic Violence & Emergency Intervention Services at HRA, expansions were done in both residential and non-residential services for victims of domestic violence. 

Created by historian and scholar Carter Woodson as Negro History Month in 1926, Black History month highlights the many contributions of Black Americans throughout the country. It is celebrated the second week of February in honor of President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist activist Frederick Douglas, two Americans born in the month of February and who dramatically affected the lives of African Americans.  Sponsors of this evening's reception included: Carver Federal Savings Bank and KeySpan. Simply Skins, Daughters of the Drum, provided entertainment and Le Grand Dakar, Mogridder's BBQ, R.U.B., Smoke Joint and Sugarcane Restaurant donated food for tonight's reception.