News Release -- NBD Commissioner Kirkmire Tapped for Governor’s Panel on Lead Poisoning Prevention

City of Rochester

News Release 

(Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren announced today that Governor Andrew Cuomo has tapped Neighborhood and Business Development (NBD) Commissioner Gary Kirkmire to serve on the Governor’s Advisory Council on Lead Poisoning Prevention.

“Gary Kirkmire has put Rochester on the national radar in the fight for healthy housing and now he has an opportunity to share his formidable knowledge on this crucial subject with municipalities across New York State,” said Mayor Warren. “This appointment is a credit to Gary’s commitment to helping families avoid the horrors of lead poisoning. I applaud Governor Cuomo for making this appointment, which bodes well for children across the state.”

The Governor’s Advisory Council on Lead Poisoning Prevention provides guidance to the New York Department of Health concerning the development and implementation of plans, policies and services for the prevention and elimination of childhood lead poisoning, including the identification and management of children with lead poisoning and strategies to detect and reduce lead hazards in the environment.

Prior to his appointment as Commissioner in July, Commissioner Kirkmire served as NBD’s Director of Buildings and Zoning. In that role, he worked with the Rochester-based Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning to implement a lead-poisoning prevention program that has produced an 85 percent reduction in the number of child lead-poisoning cases. The National League of Cities has cited Rochester as the “gold standard” for enacting and enforcing property-inspection policies that produce healthy housing options, including lead-free homes, for city residents.

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