Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the appointment of John Feinblatt as Chief Advisor to the Mayor for Policy and Strategic Planning.  In this capacity, Feinblatt will work in close consultation with the Mayor, Deputy Mayors, and Commissioners in the development and implementation of policies that cut across agencies. For example, Feinblatt will work closely with law enforcement and other agencies to develop new strategies for using DNA to improve both public health and public safety; he will work the Department of Education, law enforcement and social service organizations to devise a comprehensive new approach to truancy, a goal the Mayor announced in his recent State of the City speech; and he will work with the Departments of Finance and Consumer Affairs, the Human Resources Administration, and the Police Department to combat financial crime. Feinblatt will also spearhead the Mayor's efforts to build and expand national coalitions on the issues of immigration, infrastructure, and illegal guns. 

"John has been a highly effective member of our team since we came into office, and I've come to rely on him as a creative and pragmatic problem-solver," said Mayor Bloomberg.  "His groundbreaking approach to criminal justice has helped us produce record-breaking cuts in crime, and I'm confident that in this new role, he will help ensure that our third term is even more dynamic and successful than the first two."

"Mayor Bloomberg has fostered a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship throughout his Administration, which has led to many pioneering new policies that are improving the lives of New Yorkers - and raising the bar for the entire country," said Feinblatt.  "I've been fortunate to be a part of that work over the past eight years, and I'm now grateful for the opportunity to help the Mayor take it to the next level on a broad range of issues."

In his new role, Feinblatt will continue advising the Mayor as the Criminal Justice Coordinator, while also shaping and advancing the third term agenda on other key issues.  In doing this, Feinblatt will work to evaluate current policies, pilot new ones, and enhance the Administration's long-term strategic planning.

Since 2002, Feinblatt has served as the Mayor's Criminal Justice Coordinator, where he has launched many of the City's most innovative law enforcement initiatives, from the John Doe Indictment Project, which has used DNA evidence to bring indictments in more than 100 cases of rape, to the Mayor's school safety initiative, which has helped produce a 43% drop in school crime, to the bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which has grown from 15 mayors to nearly 500 in less than four years.