HUD's new Deputy Secretary, Roy A. Bernardi was sworn-in during a ceremony on Wednesday. Secretary Alphonso Jackson presided over the ceremonial swearing-in of Bernardi as the Department's chief operating officer. Deputy Secretary Bernardi replaces Secretary Jackson as the Department's top officer overseeing HUD's day-to-day operation. Flanked by his wife Alice and their two children, Dante and Bianca, "Mayor" Bernardi promised to continue to meet President Bush's management agenda and to improve ethics and accountability within HUD's programs among the Department's 9,000 employees and grant partners.

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Before coming to HUD, Bernardi was the 51st Mayor of the City of Syracuse, New York where he overhauled the City's financial services, eliminated duplicative departmental functions and streamlined governmental operations resulting in significant annual budgetary savings. Maintaining his commitment to right-sizing municipal government and eliminating waste, Mayor Bernardi became the first Mayor in the Northeastern United States to contractually merge a large city police department with those of suburban small villages, allowing for increased services and significant cost savings.

"It is such a tremendous honor to answer the call to serve this president and the entire HUD family," said Bernardi. "I hope to work closely with Secretary Jackson and HUD's career staff as together we try to be an even better servant for American families and communities."