Contact: Sunny Mindel/Curt Ritter (212) 788-2958
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today announced the appointment of Andrew S. Eristoff as the new Commissioner for the Department of Finance. Mr. Eristoff (R-L), a New York City Council Member representing Manhattan's Fourth District since February 1993, succeeds Fred C. Cerullo III, who was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Grand Central Partnership Business Improvement District on February 15, 1999. Mr. Eristoff's resignation from the City Council will be effective June 30, 1999. He will assume his new position on July 6, 1999.
"Andrew has been a committed and diligent representative for New Yorkers in the City Council over the past six years, and it's a pleasure to announce his appointment as the City's new Finance Commissioner," said Mayor Giuliani. "The Department of Finance has become a recognized leader among City agencies in employing new technologies to improve public administration and enhance customer service. As the former Chairman of the City Council's Task Force on Technology in Government, Andrew has promoted the use of technology to improve City government operations and services. I am confident that as the City's new Finance Commissioner, Andrew will continue to serve the people of New York with great distinction."
Council Member Eristoff said, "Over the past six and a half years, Mayor Giuliani has reinstated New York City as The Capital of the World, and in doing so has restored our confidence in elected government. It has been a privilege to support the Mayor's programs as a Member of the City Council, and it's now an even higher honor to be given the opportunity to serve the Mayor and City as a member of his Administration."
A former tax lawyer and Legislative Counsel to Senator Roy M. Goodman, Mr. Eristoff was first elected in a February 1993 special election and was later re-elected to four-year terms in 1993 and 1997. A former Chairman of the City Council's Task Force on Technology in Government, Mr. Eristoff also served on the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs; Governmental Operations; and Contracts Committees.
Mr. Eristoff received a B.A. Cum Laude in Politics from Princeton University and a J.D. Cum Laude from Georgetown University Law Center. He gained admission to the New York State Bar in 1990.
Andrew Eristoff is married to Catherine Sidamon-Eristoff. They have two children, Anne Elizabeth, 22 months, and George Baxter, four months.