THE 2012 URBAN INNOVATOR AWARD

NEW YORK CITY | JANUARY 10th, 2013

HONORING:
ROBERT DOAR
Commissioner, NYC Human Resources Administration

INTRODUCTION:
PETER COVE
Founder, America Works of New York, Inc.

Among the key achievements of the Bloomberg administration have been the continuation and enhancement of work-focused welfare reform policies aimed at discouraging dependency and encouraging upward mobility. Robert Doar, the 30th commissioner of New York City's Human Resources Administration, has played the central role in preserving and protecting "work first."

Under Commissioner Doar's leadership, the city's welfare caseload has remained some 20 percent below what it was when Mayor Bloomberg took office in 2002 and the 350,000 currently on the New York City welfare rolls are dramatically fewer than the 1.1 million receiving assistance prior to the administration of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Doar has resisted calls to relax the work requirement and insisted on performance-based contracts for those charged with finding jobs for welfare recipients. His tenure has been marked both by strong anti-fraud efforts and an initiative to encourage single fathers to play a bigger role in their children's lives.

The Manhattan Institute presents its Urban Innovator Award, a non-partisan recognition which has been awarded annually since 2000, as part of its effort to promote effective approaches to improving life in America's cities and states. Previous award winners include Chicago mayor Richard Daley, Florida governor Jeb Bush, Rhode Island state treasurer Gina Raimondo, director of the Atlanta Housing Authority, Renee Glover, and Indiana governor Mitch Daniels.