After leaving her publish on Might 31 as the town’s high lawyer, Barbadian-born former New York Metropolis Company Counsel, Sylvia Hinds-Radix shared with Caribbean Life a farewell e mail she had written to staffers.
“For over two years, I’ve had the distinction of serving because the 81st Company Counsel,” stated Justice Hinds-Radix. “Main one of many most interesting regulation places of work within the nation and contributing to the betterment of the town has been the privilege of a lifetime.”
Throughout her Metropolis Council affirmation listening to, she recalled that she had pledged to uphold the mission of the workplace, “which is to guard and defend the pursuits of the Metropolis of New York.
“Collectively, we have now fulfilled that promise with excellence and integrity,” she stated, stating {that a} foremost precedence throughout her tenure was to strengthen the workplace “to assist us extra successfully perform its mission.”
Justice Hinds-Radix stated that she was gratified that, after in depth efforts advocating for the division, she and staffers had secured and applied wage and advantage pay will increase to handle important retention and hiring points.
“This system we created to put money into our bar examination retakers has been phenomenally profitable,” she stated. “It has considerably elevated cross charges and supplied extra attorneys for the workplace.”
She stated the creation of two new authorized divisions — Ethics & Compliance, and Threat Administration — fortified the workplace’s capabilities and supplied extra assets for all metropolis companies.
Additionally, she stated weekly conferences with Company Basic Counsels helped in sharing information on a wide range of new authorized points and successfully coordinated citywide on quite a few issues affecting the town.
Justice Hinds-Radix stated what they’d achieved in different areas at a time of “nice problem” was spectacular.”
Nonetheless recovering from the worldwide pandemic, she stated the arrival of practically 200,000 migrants, starting within the Spring of 2022, severely strained metropolis assets.
She stated quite a few Legislation Division divisions supplied the authorized steerage for all of the pressing measures taken by the town to handle the disaster.
Justice Hinds-Radix stated the division additionally drafted quite a few government orders and contracts, defeated authorized challenges to the siting of migrant housing amenities, and brokered a landmark settlement with the Authorized Help Society in Callahan v. Carey, offering the town with extra flexibility it wanted to reply to the emergency.
On the identical time, most of the staffers “labored tirelessly to help different key municipal initiatives and defend the Metropolis’s pursuits in court docket.
“Every single day, we have now helped the town ship on its key mission of furthering public security, safeguarding taxpayer {dollars}, rebuilding our financial system, and bettering the standard of life for New Yorkers,” she stated, stating that their efforts “saved billions of {dollars} for taxpayers and can depart a long-lasting impression on the town.”
Hind-Radix stated the town’s Legislation Division applied protest response reforms; sued on-line ghost gun retailers; fought for smart gun legal guidelines in court docket; created a citywide process drive to reinforce Household Court docket Division collaboration with the New York Police Division (NYPD) and communities to stem gun violence; and secured the correction of code violations at 1000’s of flats throughout the town to guard tenants.
She stated the division performed “a number one position” in serving to the town shut down unlawful smoke and hashish outlets; sued social media corporations fueling a youth psychological well being disaster; filed lawsuits in opposition to distributors of unlawful flavored vapes; participated in coalition litigation to scale back air air pollution and greenhouse gasoline emissions; and defeated an unprecedented authorized problem to the Division of Schooling’s $31 billion price range, which threatened to disrupt operations supporting over 1,000,000 college students.
As well as, Justice Hinds-Radix stated the Legislation Division defeated Con Edison’s property tax invoice problem, which saved $1.3 billion for the town; gained different tax refund instances, defending over $100 million in metropolis income; and recovered tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} for the town, from breach of contract instances, industrial disputes, cigarette trafficking instances, building defect issues, false claims act instances, judgement enforcements, and different affirmative lawsuits.
She stated the regulation division’s work to help financial growth, housing creation and job development will impression generations of New Yorkers.
She stated the division suggested the town on its historic plan to remodel Willets Level right into a thriving group, a mission that can generate $6.1 billion in financial impression over the following 30 years, create 1,550 projected everlasting jobs and 14,200 building jobs; efficiently defended hire stabilization legal guidelines in appeals court docket and opposed Supreme Court docket evaluation; defeated court docket challenges to an historic rezoning plan to create 3,000 completely inexpensive properties and enhance entry to the waterfront for Gowanus residents; efficiently defended minimal pay guidelines for meals supply staff; and enhanced the town’s monetary reduction program to help 1,800 taxi medallion house owners impacted by the pandemic.
Hinds-Radix stated these achievements signify a “choose however important pattern” of the town’s Legislation Division’s collective efforts to advance the welfare of the town.
Throughout her earlier roles as a Supreme Court docket and Appellate Court docket Justice, she stated was all the time impressed by the information and professionalism of the Legislation Division members that appeared earlier than her.
As Company Counsel, she stated she had seen up shut staffers’ “deep experience” throughout dozens of specialised areas, their steadfast dedication to the rule of regulation, and “unwavering dedication to guard the pursuits of the town and its residents.
“I thanks on your distinctive contributions, which have helped the Legislation Division stay a beacon of public service,” Justice Hinds-Radix stated. “Your wonderful work extends past the courtroom and has touched the lives of people and communities. I commend these of you who mentor younger folks and others, which I strongly imagine is an funding in our future.
“I’ve additionally been deeply moved and inspired by the suggestions obtained by these impressed by the story of a person born on the 166-square-mile island of Barbados, turning into the primary Caribbean-born lady to function Company Counsel, and the second lady, and the primary lady of colour, to serve in that place,” she added.
“It has been an honor to work with you serving the folks of this nice metropolis,” she continued.
Justice Hinds-Radix is succeeded by one other lady of colour, Muriel Goode-Trufant.
On Might 31, New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams thanked Hinds-Radix for her “service and dedication to the folks of this metropolis.”
“Not solely did she serve this metropolis as an lawyer, as a choose, but in addition as our company counsel,” he stated. “Look during the last two years and 6 months, main a gaggle of legal professionals bigger than any main regulation agency within the nation. She did it with a stage of dignity that I respect.”
In line with NY1 cable television, the mayor and Hinds-Radix had been “reportedly at odds over the town representing him in a sexual assault lawsuit.”
However in late April, Adams sought to dismiss any rupture with Hinds-Radix.
“Choose Radix is a longtime buddy for a lot of, a few years,” NY1 quoted him as saying at one in every of his weekly question-and-answer classes. “I used to be at her daughter’s marriage ceremony. There isn’t any disagreement.”
Justice Hinds-Radix’s eldest daughter, Jovia Radix-Seaborough, can also be a lawyer.
