Wanna alter or build something in Brooklyn? First thing you gotta do is file your project with the Department of Buildings (unless you're in a Landmark district, but that's another story), and in Brooklyn the grand poobah of the DOB is Magdi Mossad. Despite being a career DOB employee, Mossad has taken advantage of his position as the top DOB dog in Brooklyn to push the agency to respond more effectively to the safety abuses and other illegal activity in the building industry. He launched the initial excavation squad in Williamsburg, a model that later became adopted city-wide; he also was responsible for the first criminal prosecution of a developer through the creation of a special investigation unit combining building inspectors, engineers and a special prosecutor.
Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 11-20 [Brownstoner]
Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 21-30 [Brownstoner]
Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 31-40 [Brownstoner]
Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 41-50 [Brownstoner]
