"When I appointed Paul Cosgrave Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications in 2006, our Administration had made unprecedented gains increasing public access to City information and services. Still, I charged Paul with going even farther, giving New Yorkers new ways to interact with City government, and making City government even more transparent. He had great success achieving those goals.

"Paul expanded our 311 Customer Service Center, which provides New Yorkers round-the-clock access to information and services in some 180 languages. He helped create an enhanced 311 service for public school families which provides an easy-to-use resource for parents and guardians seeking answers about their children's education. Thanks to his efforts, New Yorkers can now access 311 by phone, via multiple online channels, and attach pictures and videos to complaints submitted from their desktops or mobile phones. And just last month, we announced an agreement with the MTA to explore streamlining public access to mass transit information. Paul spearheaded the effort to create the New York City Wireless Network, a state-of-the-art broadband infrastructure transforming how City agencies ensure public safety and deliver services, as well as the expansion and adoption of broadband service in low income neighborhoods.

"Through it all, Paul's greatest strengths have been his ability to work collaboratively and effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders and find ways to get things done. On behalf of the people of the City of New York, I thank him for his distinguished service and wish him all the best in retirement."