Patrick O'Riordan.
A Boherbue man who moved to the U.S. in the mid-1980s with the intention of staying just a year has been appointed to a key position at San Francisco's building inspectorate.
San Francisco Mayor London N Breed has announced the appointment of Patrick O'Riordan as interim director of the city's Department of Building Inspections (DBI), effective immediately.
The department oversees the enforcement of the City and County of San Francisco's building, housing, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and handicapped access codes in more than 200,000 buildings.
Mayor Breed said Mr. O'Riordan, the city's top building inspector, will remain in the position while a nationwide search is conducted to fill the position permanently.
Outgoing director Tom Hui has resigned from his post amid ongoing investigations into alleged fraudulent activities.
“The department is critically important to the residents, businesses and property owners who rely on its services every day, and I want to thank Patrick O’Riordan for his commitment during this time of transition,” said Mayor Breed.
Born and educated in Boherbue, Mr O'Riordan entered the civil service after leaving school and took a sabbatical in the 1980s to travel to San Francisco for a year and spend time with a girl he met at a Macra na Feirme dance in Boherbue. who is his wife now.
He began working in the construction industry in 1985 as a carpenter and foreman before starting his own small business as a general contractor and then joining San Francisco's planning department about a decade ago.
Mr O'Riordan said he was honored to have been appointed to his new role.
“I accept the responsibility given to me by the Commission with sincere humility and appreciation for your trust in my building and construction experience and expertise,” said Mr O'Riordan.
“I will do everything I can to meet expectations and provide the department the leadership it needs during these times of public health challenges,” he added.
