BIC Commissioner Brownell Addresses Concerns Ahead of Resignation

Daniel Brownell, commissioner for the New York City Business Integrity Commission (BIC), is scheduled to step down from his post this week.

Brownell’s resignation comes after months of coverage and complaints from lawmakers that the BIC has been too lax in its oversight of the city’s private trash collection industry. Brownell was appointed to lead the BIC by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014. In a statement made earlier this month, de Blasio called Brownell’s resignation voluntary and said that he played “a big role in crafting legislation to protect the most vulnerable workers in the trade waste industry.”

Waste Dive recently sat down with Brownell and spoke about his tenure, safety regulations and ongoing local corruption concerns.

Waste Dive has more information:

The person in charge of regulating New York's commercial waste industry is heading out at the end of this week, leaving behind nearly five years of increasing pressure in the local market.

Dan Brownell was appointed commissioner of the Business Integrity Commission (BIC) in May 2014 by Mayor Bill de Blasio. During his tenure, the agency has been credited with reviving a dormant Trade Waste Advisory Board, hosting multiple "safety symposium" events, working on a free trade waste safety manual and overseeing an investigation that ultimately led to the demise of the now notorious company Sanitation Salvage.

On the occasion of Brownell's departure (said to be voluntary), some in the local industry have applauded his time as commissioner, pointing to his willingness to collaborate and heightened attention around worker safety. Others that have been more critical in the past, such as labor groups, have had little to say on the matter. In first reporting it, ProPublica wrote that Brownell was leaving after "months of embarrassing news coverage," questioning his agency's speed in addressing labor issues. A New York City Council committee investigation into the agency remains ongoing.

Read the full Q&A here.