In front of hundreds of representatives from labor, construction and real estate development in New York City, Carlo A. Scissura, president and CEO of New York Building Congress (NYBC), outlined a new focus on advocacy for the construction trade group at its annual membership meeting and forum on Feb. 1 — indicating he wishes to take advantage of a growing membership base to push for needed infrastructural reforms in Albany and at City Hall.
“We are entering an era of both unprecedented opportunity and unprecedented challenge in New York,” Sciassura said. “More people are moving to New York than ever before, but the crisis of growth threatens to derail the gains we’ve made
“If we want New York City to remain an economic engine for the United States, we are obligated to build infrastructure that supports growth. That includes supporting congestion pricing to fund public transportation and make New York a more livable city— and pushing for the Gateway project to ensure that the entire tri-state area can continue to grow.”
To help alleviate some of the infrastructural challenges New York faces, the NYBC says in a statement it is taking an increasingly regional approach in its agenda for the coming year– expanding its influence further into Westchester, Long Island, and New Jersey, and focusing on the Gateway project as a driver of economic opportunity across the region.
The meeting also included a keynote speech by incoming city council speaker Corey Johnson, in one of his first public addresses since his appointment. In it, he outlined a path for working with the construction and development trades to ensure that New York continues to grow in a sustainable way.
NYBC membership also elected Milo E. Riverson, president and chief executive officer of STV, as the organization’s chair, succeeding Richard Cavallaro.
