As a key advisor to Governor George Pataki, Randy Daniels has played a major role in implementing the Governor’s agenda and bringing about historic change in New York State. In the areas of economic development, educational reform and now as Secretary of State, Randy Daniels has combined strong leadership skills and the ability to find common ground in order to achieve results that benefit all New Yorkers.

Rebuilding Our Economy

As Senior Vice President and Deputy Commissioner for Economic Revitalization at Empire State Development, the State’s office for economic redevelopment, Randy Daniels brought fundamental reform to the way that government pursues economic redevelopment in distressed neighborhoods. Rejecting the previous and unsuccessful model, which focused on the creation of social service jobs while ignoring the importance of business and commerce, Randy Daniels reached out aggressively to private business interests and welcomed them into underserved neighborhoods. In the process, Randy took on the failed Harlem Urban Development Corporation (HUDC), which had spent millions in taxpayer supported salaries with no appreciable development to show for it. Ultimately, due to Randy Daniels’ efforts, HUDC was shut down. With a new approach in place, major retailers like Pathmark, Blockbuster, Marshalls and others agreed to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Harlem, creating sustainable jobs for local residents and dramatically reducing the cost to consumers, while also adding convenience. In recognition of his success, the New York Daily News called Randy Daniels a “Harlem Hero,” and said he is a “big man who can get things done.” Randy Daniels exported his private sector redevelopment model to other boroughs of New York City as well as other regions of the State, spurring new investment and creating new jobs for New Yorkers.

Reinventing Education

As Co-Chair of the Committee on Charter Schools at the State University of New York (SUNY), Randy Daniels has been a forceful advocate for giving parents greater choice in making decisions about their children’s education. Under his leadership as Vice Chairman, the SUNY Board of Trustees has approved 35 new charter schools to serve underprivileged students in underperforming districts, and so far, the new schools have demonstrated a superior track record, raising student scores in most instances, and receving far more admission applications than they can accommodate. Randy is widely recognized as one of the leading educational reformers throughout New York State.

Raising Educational Standards and Performance

As a SUNY trustee, Randy Daniels has been a leading voice for raising standards and the quality of educational instruction. Because of his strong support, entrance qualifications, such as grades and board scores, were increased. Surprising critics, the increased standards did not reduce minority enrollment, which in fact is now the highest it has ever been. A 30 hour core curriculum was also added to all four year colleges, with requirements in American history, Western and non-Western civilization, natural sciences, mathematics, arts and the humanities and other subjects. A system to assess what students have learned has also been implemented to ensure a quality education and guard against grade inflation.

Leadership Under Attack

Immediately after the terrorist attacks of September 11, Governor Pataki appointed Randy Daniels as New York State Liaison to New York City to make sure that all available resources were provided as expeditiously as possible to help New York City agencies cope with the attack. The Department of State’s Office of Fire Prevention and Control played a critical role in this effort, directing people and equipment to the World Trade Center site. The Capital Region Urban Search and Rescue Team was dispatched to assist FDNY's Special Operations Command for 16 consecutive days with search and rescue operations. One hundred team members participated, providing 24 hour a day operations that included void searches, technical assistance by structural engineers, and other services such as equipment and personnel decontamination. In addition, the Department’s Community Services staff was redeployed to help warehouse and distribute donated goods.

Homeland Security

As a member of Governor Pataki’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Task Force, Randy oversees all WMD training throughout New York State. Under this program, first responder equipment has been provided to counties throughout the State. Specialized trailers containing protective equipment, detection instruments and decontamination equipment have also been provided to hazardous materials teams to improve their ability to respond quickly to chemical or biological incidents.

In recognition of the need to ensure the integrity of the State’s private security efforts, Randy Daniels redeployed Department of Licensing resources to launch a comprehensive audit of all security guard companies doing business in New York State, verifying that all guards are properly registered and have undergone the required background check. These companies, which employ more than 100,000 guards, provide security to many national security sensitive sites and businesses, including airline and trucking companies, corporate headquarters and national monuments. Underscoring the seriousness of the program, Randy Daniels also instituted a zero tolerance policy that imposes the maximum penalties on security guard companies found in violation. As a result of the ongoing audit, dozens of companies have been issued fines that total more than $1 million, several firms have had their licenses suspended, and one firm has been barred from doing business in New York State.

Protecting our Environment

Through Environmental Protection Fund grants and the Local Waterfront Revitalization Programs, Randy Daniels has approved millions of dollars in assistance to communities to protect and enhance waterfronts as well as environmentally important habitats. Grants for 119 projects, valued at more than $35 million, have been made in 35 counties in all regions of the State. In New York City, projects he has approved include plans to turn Freshkills into a park on Staten Island, restore coastline and habitat on Randalls and Wards Islands, create new access to waterfront in Brooklyn in neighborhoods including Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Downtown Brooklyn and Sunset Park, and create waterfront access in West Harlem.

As Chair of the South Shore Estuary Reserve Council, Randy Daniels has also played a major role in improving the Reserve's 326 mile watershed, which is home to 1.5 million Long Islanders. Projects approved and financed by the Council have improved the estuary’s water quality, helped restore natural resources, increased public use and strengthened the maritime economy in the Reserve. More than $20 million has been invested over the last two years by the State and local government. The State has committed another $10 million and looks forward to significantly increased federal investment as well.

Brownfield Redevelopment

Because he has responsibilities for all waterfront redevelopment in New York State and brownfields are typically located on waterfront areas as a legacy of New York’s industrial past, Randy Daniels took on the formidable task of lobbying to reform New York’s antiquated brownfield laws. The rapid redevelopment of the New Jersey side of the Lower Hudson River, in contrast to similar sites in New York, is testament to the need for such reform. Since blighted areas are often located in predominantly minority communities, Randy Daniels focused his lobbying efforts on elected officials who represent the affected districts, pointing out ways that reform would benefit their constituents. Thanks to his efforts, among others, agreement was finally reached on a compromise reform bill that is now expected to make the redevelopment process easier and more predictable for private investment. Randy has pledged to stay involved in the issue, working to ensure smooth implementation of the new rules, and thereby expedite the process of restoring access to the waterfront throughout New York State.

Updating the Construction Code

Under Randy Daniels’ leadership, New York State, after long and arduous discussion, adopted the International Fire and Building and International Energy Code, for all regions outside of New York City. The Uniform Construction Code is expected to make New York State more competitive by reducing construction costs and encouraging the creation of new construction jobs. More consistent code enforcement is also likely to result as higher quality construction will better protect our citizens. The new codes also provide greater flexibility, making it easier for construction firms to adapt to industry changes as they occur. As a result, it is estimated the new codes will save New Yorkers hundreds of millions of dollars in future construction costs.

Promoting Fire Safety

In response to legislation signed by Governor Pataki, Randy Daniels has overseen the effort by the Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) to propose the first standard enacted in the United States or anywhere in the world aimed at reducing the likelihood that a cigarette will start a fire. Currently, cigarettes are a significant cause of fire fatalities in people’s homes. According to the newly proposed standard, which followed extensive scientific study and analysis, 75 percent of the cigarettes of each brand tested will have to self-extinguish before burning the full length of the tobacco column, in order for that brand to be sold in New York State.

As one of the reforms recommended by the Governor’s Task Force on Campus Fire Safety, instituted after the deadly fire at New Jersey’s Seton Hall University, the OFPC has trained more than 20 new Fire Protection Staff to inspect colleges and universities across New York State. In addition, the OFPC has trained more than 500 Resident Assistants in fire prevention techniques and fire awareness.

21st Century Government

As part of a broad-based effort to make government more user-friendly, Randy Daniels has continued to direct resources at the Department of State into information technology. In the Licensing Division, real estate professionals are now able to renew their license via the Internet. This is the first DOS application to allow for online credit card processing and the first in the State to use the State’s Electronic Value Transfer (EVT) contract.

Under his leadership at the Department of State, a new Quality Communities Clearinghouse website has also been launched to provide information about services, resources and best practices offered by State agencies to New York communities pursuing QC development goals. The website, coupled with the Quality Communities News, has significantly improved the Department and the State's ability to help local governments.

The Department has also dramatically improved access to Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings, with an entirely new search system, credit card processing and an Internet-based search and image retrieval system. An Internet-based XML electronic filing system has also been added. Future enhancements will include systems to allow for online entry of and payment via credit card for single UCC filings and the availability for bulk sale of UCC filing data and images.