DHCR Commissioner Joe Lynch is retiring today (June 30).

Lynch headed the State's Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) through contentious times on Roosevelt Island when State subsidies for Island operations and capital development were being reduced, then eliminated entirely.  Starting in April, 1995, as Deputy Commissioner of Community Development, he became First Deputy Commissioner two months later, then Acting Commissioner in November, 1996.  Governor George Pataki named him Commissioner in 1999.

During Dr. Jerome Blue's tenure as President of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC), Lynch started chairing DHCR's public Board of Directors meetings in an effort to calm some of the contention over Blue's administration of Island affairs.  It was a difficult spot:  Lynch's predecessor in the job had reportedly been fired for calling attention to Blue's shortcomings.

In one effort to give Island residents a sense that they could influence the course of Island development, Lynch named two development committees that included a large proportion of residents, but they were effectively disbanded after about a year.

As part of a 30-year career in housing, real estate, finance, and construction, Lynch served for a time at the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), creating public-private partnerships to revitalize communities across New York State.  Then, at DHCR, he expanded such programs as part of a community-based strategy for affordable housing.  The programs generated some $2.38 billion in public-private investment.

In a DHCR press release, Lynch is quoted as saying, "It's been a great privilege to serve the people of this State under the remarkable leadership of Governor George E. Pataki.  I am honored to have been part of an administration that has paved the way for a successful housing policy by cutting taxes dramatically, pruning regulations, restoring fiscal discipline, empowering local communities, partnering with the private sector, and replacing welfare dependency with unparalleled economic opportunity.  I want to thank the Governor and my friends and colleagues at DHCR for a wonderfully productive and fruitful tenure."

In 1998, Lynch met with and encouraged Island residents seeking to achieve local, elected control of the RIOC Board of Directors, an effort that continues today.

In the DHCR press release, the Governor praised Lynch as "a dedicated champion of affordable housing and community revitalization," adding, "On behalf of all New Yorkers, I salute his tenure and wish him and his family the very best.  Clearly, he will be missed."

At press time, the Governor had named no successor.