By Jon Schuppe
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN—Mayor Michael Bloomberg has named Salvatore Cassano, a 40-year veteran of the New York Fire Department, as the agency’s new commissioner.
Cassano, currently the chief of department, said he plans to continue post-9/11 efforts to rebuild the department and to use technology to improve response times.
His most pressing challenge will be to get that done in a time of lean municipal budgets, he said.
“The biggest problem is getting the most out of the department in the budget we face,” Cassano, 64, said at a City Hall news conference announcing his appointment. “How do we make the department safe, and keep the public safe, on a limited budget?”
Cassano will replace Nicholas Scoppetta, who is retiring at the end of this year after eight years as commissioner.
