LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION mourning the death of Richard J. Sheirer, distin-
guished citizen and devoted member of his community

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
citizens of the State of New York whose lifework and civic endeavor
served to enhance the quality of life in their communities and the great
State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Richard Sheirer, the first Commissioner of New York City's
Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the City's first Director of
Homeland Security, died on Thursday, January 19, 2012; and
WHEREAS, In February 2000, Richard J. Sheirer was appointed Director
of the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management; he was later named the
first Commissioner of New York City's Office of Emergency Management
(OEM) and the City's first Director of Homeland Security after previous-
ly serving as Deputy Fire Commissioner of the New York City Fire Depart-
ment and as Deputy Commissioner and Chief of Staff of the New York City
Police Department; and
WHEREAS, During and after September 11, 2001, OEM, under the direction
of Richard Sheirer, coordinated the largest rescue and recovery response
effort in American history at the World Trade Center and after losing
its offices and Emergency Operation Center (EOC) in 7 World Trade Center
on September 11th; Director Sheirer used his experience, expertise and
ingenuity to set up a temporary EOC at the New York City Police Depart-
ment's training academy and later established a fully-functional EOC at
Pier 92 on the West Side of Manhattan; and
WHEREAS, Under the direction of Commissioner Sheirer, OEM's various
units performed heroically and under great duress to discharge all the
duties necessary to respond to and recover from the September 11 attacks
on the World Trade Center, including the public information center,
which handled over 25,000 media inquiries; the special projects unit,
which coordinated debris removal operations; Watch Command, which main-
tained communications systems following the disaster; and operations,
which provided logistical and administrative support to the Urban Search
and Rescue (USAR) teams from around the nation; and
WHEREAS, Richard Sheirer, often referred to as "the man behind the
mayor" later went on to become Executive Vice President of Giuliani
Partners; and
WHEREAS, Richard Sheirer distinguished himself in his profession and
by his sincere dedication and substantial contribution to the welfare of
his community; and
WHEREAS, Richard Sheirer's commitment to excellence, and his spirit of
humanity, carried over into all fields of enterprise, including charita-
ble and civic endeavors; and
WHEREAS, Richard Sheirer is survived by his wife, Barbara, and their
children, Matthew, Joseph, Christopher, Andrew and Paul; and
WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of
compassion, Richard Sheirer leaves behind a legacy which will long
endure the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory to all
he served and befriended; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of Richard J. Sheirer, distinguished citizen and devoted
member of his community; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Richard J. Sheirer.