Nicholas Scoppetta
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Scoppetta served as the 31st Fire Commissioner
of the City of New York. He was appointed to that position by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on January 1, 2002 and was succeeded by Salvatore Cassano
on January 1, 2010.
Mr. Scoppetta was the former Commissioner
of the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) where he served from 1996 through 2001. His six year tenure was three times the average tenure of Child Welfare Administrators in New York City
. During his tenure from 1996 to 2001, ACS engaged in a comprehensive reform of the City’s child welfare
system which won praise from national child welfare experts and the media.
Mr. Scoppetta is also a former Deputy Mayor
and Commissioner of Investigation for the City of New York. He has served as Associate Counsel to the Knapp Commission
, as Assistant United States Attorney
for the Southern District of New York, as Assistant District Attorney
for New York County, and as the Deputy Independent Counsel in the investigation and prosecution of a former Special Assistant to the President of the United States
.
of Manhattan
in 1932. He was the youngest son of Italian immigrants, struggling to get by during the Depression.
By the time he was 4, his parents turned him and his two older brothers, Tony and Vincent, over to the city's care, initially in a shelter on 104th Street. At first, the three boys were separated, he said, but they were reunited a year or so later by a chance encounter at the dentist's office, where his brother Tony recognized him. Together, he and his brothers ended up in a group home in the Bronx
called Woodycrest -- now an AIDS
hospice. They stayed until he was 12 and they were reunited with their parents.
Scoppetta attended public schools in Manhattan, including Seward Park High School, from where he graduated in 1950.
After serving two years in the Army, he attended Bradley University
on the G.I. Bill and graduated in 1958 with a degree in Civil Engineering
. While enrolled at Bradley, he joined Sigma Chi
Fraternity.
In 1959 he was awarded a New York State Regents Scholarship
and attended Brooklyn Law School
at night while working in the criminal courts during the day assisting in the investigation and prosecution of cases in which children had been abused or neglected. He graduated from law school in 1962.
Frank S. Hogan
. He served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan D.A.'s
Office until 1969.
In 1969, Scoppetta became an Assistant United States Attorney
for the Southern District of New York.
In 1971, he served as Associate Counsel to the Knapp Commission
, which investigated corruption in the New York City Police Department.
In 1972, he served for a brief time as Deputy Independent Counsel in the investigation and prosecution of a former Special Assistant to President Richard M. Nixon.
On December 1, 1972, Scoppetta was appointed Commissioner of Investigation for the City of New York by Mayor John V. Lindsay, and was re-appointed to that position by Mayor Abraham D. Beame in 1974.
On August 1, 1974, Scoppetta was accused by New York City Controller Harrison J. Goldin
of "instructing" a civil servant in the Controller's office to make entries in the Controller's books that were not there when his auditors looked at them. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00914F93559147A93C0A91783D85F408785F9
Scoppetta denounced the accusation as "outrageous", and a subsequent investigation by New York State Special Prosecutor
Maurice H. Nadjari cleared Scoppetta of any wrongdoing. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0A11F93559147A93C7A81783D85F408785F9
On December 6, 1976 Mayor Beame named Scoppetta to the newly created post of Deputy Mayor
for Criminal Justice while still remaining in his post as Commissioner of Investigation. He held both positions until he was replaced by incoming Mayor Edward I. Koch on January 5, 1978.
where he was a Professor of Law and Director of the Institute of Judicial Administration.
In 1979 New York State Governor Hugh L. Carey appointed Scoppetta to a post on the The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor
.
In 1980, Scoppetta, along with Eric A. Seiff (a long-time friend from his days at the Manhattan D.A.'s Office), founded the law firm of Scoppetta & Seiff (now known as Seiff Kretz & Abercrombie), where he engaged in the private practice of law until his full-time return to public service in 1996 as the first commissioner of the NYC Administration for Children’s Services.
From February 1995 to January 1996, he was Chairman of the five-member Commission to Combat Police Corruption which was created by Mayor Giuliani to monitor the New York City Police Department
’s anti-corruption efforts.
, a not-for-profit social service agency which annually serves more than 200,000 needy children in New York City
. He was a member of that Board for sixteen years.
He has served on numerous boards of other not-for-profit institutions and is a past member of the Executive Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York
.
He is currently the president of New Yorkers For Children, and organization which he founded in 1996 as the non-profit partner to the Administration for Children's Services.
and Robert M. Morgenthau
.
with his wife Susan, a psychotherapist. He has two children, Andrea, who holds a master’s degree in social work and Eric, who is an attorney and a partner at the law firm of Scoppetta Kelley & Lee.
FDNY Commissioner
The New York City Fire Commissioner is the civilian administrator of the New York City Fire Department , appointed by the Mayor of the City of New York. There have been 32 commissioners since Manhattan and the Bronx consolidated with Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island to form The City of New York...
of the City of New York. He was appointed to that position by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on January 1, 2002 and was succeeded by Salvatore Cassano
Salvatore Cassano
Salvatore Joseph "Sal" Cassano is the New York City Fire Commissioner. His appointment by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to succeed Nicholas Scoppetta was announced on 21 December 2009 and became effective on 1 January 2010...
on January 1, 2010.
Overview
Former Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta headed a Department with an annual budget of more than one billion dollars and with more than 16,000 Fire, EMS and civilian members. His extensive experience in government and management spans more than four decades. The department encompasses fire services and Emergency Medical services.Mr. Scoppetta was the former Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
of the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) where he served from 1996 through 2001. His six year tenure was three times the average tenure of Child Welfare Administrators in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. During his tenure from 1996 to 2001, ACS engaged in a comprehensive reform of the City’s child welfare
Child welfare
Child protection is used to describe a set of usually government-run services designed to protect children and young people who are underage and to encourage family stability...
system which won praise from national child welfare experts and the media.
Mr. Scoppetta is also a former Deputy Mayor
Deputy Mayor
Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments. Many elected deputy mayors are members of the city council who are given the title and serve as acting mayor in the mayor's absence...
and Commissioner of Investigation for the City of New York. He has served as Associate Counsel to the Knapp Commission
Knapp Commission
The Knapp Commission stemmed from a five-member panel initially formed in April 1970 by Mayor John V. Lindsay to investigate corruption within the New York City Police Department...
, as Assistant United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Southern District of New York, as Assistant District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
for New York County, and as the Deputy Independent Counsel in the investigation and prosecution of a former Special Assistant to the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
Childhood and Education
Scoppetta was born on the Lower East SideLower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in 1932. He was the youngest son of Italian immigrants, struggling to get by during the Depression.
By the time he was 4, his parents turned him and his two older brothers, Tony and Vincent, over to the city's care, initially in a shelter on 104th Street. At first, the three boys were separated, he said, but they were reunited a year or so later by a chance encounter at the dentist's office, where his brother Tony recognized him. Together, he and his brothers ended up in a group home in the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
called Woodycrest -- now an AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
hospice. They stayed until he was 12 and they were reunited with their parents.
Scoppetta attended public schools in Manhattan, including Seward Park High School, from where he graduated in 1950.
After serving two years in the Army, he attended Bradley University
Bradley University
Bradley University, founded in 1897, is a private, co-educational university located in Peoria, Illinois. It is a small institution with an enrollment of approximately 6,100 undergraduate and postgraduate students and a full-time faculty of approximately 350....
on the G.I. Bill and graduated in 1958 with a degree in Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
. While enrolled at Bradley, he joined Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
Fraternity.
In 1959 he was awarded a New York State Regents Scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
and attended Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn Law School is a law school located in Brooklyn Heights, in Downtown Brooklyn, New York.-History:Founded in 1901 by William Payson Richardson and Norman P. Heffley, Brooklyn Law School was the first law school on Long Island. Using space provided by Heffley’s business school, the law...
at night while working in the criminal courts during the day assisting in the investigation and prosecution of cases in which children had been abused or neglected. He graduated from law school in 1962.
Career in Federal and City Government
Shortly after his admission to the bar in 1962, he was appointed an Assistant District Attorney in New York County by District AttorneyDistrict attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Frank S. Hogan
Frank Hogan
Frank Smithwick Hogan was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Dubbed "Mr. Integrity" due to his perceived honesty and incorruptibility, he was D.A. of New York County for more than 30 years.-Life and career:...
. He served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan D.A.'s
New York County District Attorney
The New York County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for New York County , New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws....
Office until 1969.
In 1969, Scoppetta became an Assistant United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Southern District of New York.
In 1971, he served as Associate Counsel to the Knapp Commission
Knapp Commission
The Knapp Commission stemmed from a five-member panel initially formed in April 1970 by Mayor John V. Lindsay to investigate corruption within the New York City Police Department...
, which investigated corruption in the New York City Police Department.
In 1972, he served for a brief time as Deputy Independent Counsel in the investigation and prosecution of a former Special Assistant to President Richard M. Nixon.
On December 1, 1972, Scoppetta was appointed Commissioner of Investigation for the City of New York by Mayor John V. Lindsay, and was re-appointed to that position by Mayor Abraham D. Beame in 1974.
On August 1, 1974, Scoppetta was accused by New York City Controller Harrison J. Goldin
Harrison J. Goldin
Harrison Jay Goldin is a lawyer and former New York politician. He served as New York City Comptroller from 1974 to 1989. He was a member of the New York State Senate from 1966 to 1973 and ran in the 1989 Democratic Primary election for Mayor of New York...
of "instructing" a civil servant in the Controller's office to make entries in the Controller's books that were not there when his auditors looked at them. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00914F93559147A93C0A91783D85F408785F9
Scoppetta denounced the accusation as "outrageous", and a subsequent investigation by New York State Special Prosecutor
Special prosecutor
A special prosecutor generally is a lawyer from outside the government appointed by an attorney general or, in the United States, by Congress to investigate a government official for misconduct while in office. A reasoning for such an appointment is that the governmental branch or agency may have...
Maurice H. Nadjari cleared Scoppetta of any wrongdoing. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0A11F93559147A93C7A81783D85F408785F9
On December 6, 1976 Mayor Beame named Scoppetta to the newly created post of Deputy Mayor
Deputy Mayor
Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments. Many elected deputy mayors are members of the city council who are given the title and serve as acting mayor in the mayor's absence...
for Criminal Justice while still remaining in his post as Commissioner of Investigation. He held both positions until he was replaced by incoming Mayor Edward I. Koch on January 5, 1978.
Private Practice
After leaving public service in 1978, Mr. Scoppetta joined the faculty of New York University School of LawNew York University School of Law
The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
where he was a Professor of Law and Director of the Institute of Judicial Administration.
In 1979 New York State Governor Hugh L. Carey appointed Scoppetta to a post on the The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor
Waterfront Commission
The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor is a regulatory agency in Port of New York and New Jersey in the United States The inter-state government entity of New York and New Jersey was established in August of 1953...
.
In 1980, Scoppetta, along with Eric A. Seiff (a long-time friend from his days at the Manhattan D.A.'s Office), founded the law firm of Scoppetta & Seiff (now known as Seiff Kretz & Abercrombie), where he engaged in the private practice of law until his full-time return to public service in 1996 as the first commissioner of the NYC Administration for Children’s Services.
From February 1995 to January 1996, he was Chairman of the five-member Commission to Combat Police Corruption which was created by Mayor Giuliani to monitor the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
’s anti-corruption efforts.
Return to City Government
On January 11, 1996, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani announced the creation of the Administration for Children’s Services and appointed Mr. Scoppetta the agency’s first commissioner. ACS is the City’s first independent agency devoted entirely to services for children, with a commissioner reporting directly to the Mayor.Not-For-Profit/Non-Profit Advisory Work
Mr. Scoppetta is a past President and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Children's Aid SocietyChildren's Aid Society
__notoc__The Children’s Aid Society is a private charitable organization based in New York City. It serves 150,000 children per year, providing foster care, medical and mental health services, and a wide range of educational, recreational and advocacy services through dozens of community centers,...
, a not-for-profit social service agency which annually serves more than 200,000 needy children in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He was a member of that Board for sixteen years.
He has served on numerous boards of other not-for-profit institutions and is a past member of the Executive Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York
Association of the Bar of the City of New York
The New York City Bar Association , founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization, formally known as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, has been headquartered in a landmark building on 44th Street, between Fifth and Sixth...
.
He is currently the president of New Yorkers For Children, and organization which he founded in 1996 as the non-profit partner to the Administration for Children's Services.
Awards and Professional Recognition
On January 14, 1997, Scoppetta was awarded the Hogan-Morgenthau Award of the Hogan-Morgenthau Associates, an organization of former and present assistant district attorneys on the staffs of the Manhattan District Attorneys Frank HoganFrank Hogan
Frank Smithwick Hogan was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Dubbed "Mr. Integrity" due to his perceived honesty and incorruptibility, he was D.A. of New York County for more than 30 years.-Life and career:...
and Robert M. Morgenthau
Robert M. Morgenthau
Robert Morris Morgenthau is an American lawyer. From 1975 until his retirement in 2009, he was the District Attorney for New York County, the borough of Manhattan.-Early life:...
.
Family life
Mr. Scoppetta lives in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with his wife Susan, a psychotherapist. He has two children, Andrea, who holds a master’s degree in social work and Eric, who is an attorney and a partner at the law firm of Scoppetta Kelley & Lee.
External links
- Fire Department of the City of New York website
- New York City Administration for Children's Services website
- The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor website
- New York City Department of Investigation website
- Children's Aid Society website
- New Yorkers For Children website
- The Association of the Bar of the City of New York website
- Seiff Kretz & Abercrombie website
- Scoppetta Kelley & Lee website
- Bradley University Website