Abundance New York's Catherine Vaughn testifies on retention
Catherine Vaughn, co-executive director of Abundance New York, praises DCAS progress but notes the Mayor's Management Report cited insufficient staffing about 20 times, and argues retention is a cost-effective lever.
Good morning, Chair Aldeball.
Thank you so much for letting me testify.
My name is Catherine Vaughn, and I'm the co-founder and co-executive director of Abundance New York.
We applaud the progress that DCAS has made this year from faster exam results to the new Jobs NYC Center,
but this year the Mayor's Management Report still cited insufficient staffing about 20 times as the reason why agencies fell short on other critical metrics from ambulance response times to inspections of our drinking water.
Last month, this committee examined how the city recruits new public servants, and recruitment is one important lever to address the city's vacancies.
But as Rose just shared, retention is another, and it's often a more cost-effective one.