Removal of Tweed

December 28, 2015

William de Blasio

Mayor of New York City

City Hall Park

New York, NY 10007

Dear Mayor de Blasio:

The purpose of this letter is to request that you issue an executive order to remove the name “Tweed” and prohibit its use when referencing any official or unofficial New York City building and/or designation, including but not limited to the New York City Department of Education headquarters, which is currently at the old New York County Courthouse at 52 Chambers Street, New York, New York 10007.

Since “Tweed” is an unofficial name/designation assigned to the old New York County Courthouse, no legal or legislative authorization may be required for you to remove “Tweed” from all city web sites, electronic, and printed communications for any reason other than historical references.

It is ironic that the deceased William Magear Tweed, a convicted felon, continues to be honored by the New York City government despite his noted criminality and corruption, when two of New York State’s highest ranked politicians were recently convicted on numerous counts of corruption-related charges.

Again, I respectfully request that you swiftly issue an order to prohibit and remove any reference to William Magear Tweed from New York City buildings, agencies and/or departments, including electronic and print communications.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Bernard Gassaway, Ed.D.

Former New York City superintendent and principal

c: NYC Borough Presidents

NYC City Council President

NYC Public Advocate

NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

Various Media Outlets