Jessica Lappin proves she’s a worthy successor
When former Downtown Alliance President Elizabeth Berger tragically passed away last summer, there was concern that no one could replace the tireless advocate for Lower Manhattan.
But the energy, efforts and results produced by former Council woman Jessica Lappin since her February appointment have provided ample evidence that Downtown remains in good hands.
“Liz was a lion,” says the similarly driven, lifelong New Yorker, who has a long history and connection with our community. “She will be missed, but we will carry on her work and do everything we can to make a positive difference moving forward to do her proud.”
Lappin, a hard-working mother of two was in the first graduating class in the new Stuyvesant High School and built a distinguished record working at City Hall over seven years. Because of that, she has a unique awareness of the issues in the area and is committed to build on the groundwork that Berger and the Alliance have laid in promoting business growth and the quality of life in the community.
“We want to make sure we are continuing the momentum Liz provided and shaping new growth in a positive way,” she says. “The Alliance has been involved in providing incentives to grow the tech community in Lower Manhattan. We will also continue to put our focus on working with the businesses on Water Street to make significant improvements along that corridor. We’ll also continue to work with Mayor DiBlasaio to keep expanding the availability of free WiFi in Lower Manhattan.”
Lappin encouraged “a great collaboration” that the Alliance enjoys with city agencies and the new mayoral administration, which she says has already yielded positive results. [Continues…]
By Mike Hammer
Jessica Lappin is the Visionary profile of DOWNTOWN’s Summer 2014 edition. If you would like to continue reading the entire interview, you can find our latest issue on newsstands now! Or you can subscribe to DOWNTOWN Magazine for home delivery by clicking here.
