The new U.S. Housing and Urban Development administrator for our region toured Staten Island Thursday, promising to prioritize recovery projects tied to Hurricane Sandy.

Lynne Patton, alongside Rep. Dan Donovan, visited several projects that the federal agency helps fund. 

They started their day at a Section 8 housing development in Park Hill, speaking with residents about their concerns. 

Patton then toured a home in New Dorp Beach that’s being elevated through the city’s Build it Back program, which is funded by HUD.

The program has come under fire for being over budget and behind schedule, but Patton touted its work.

"Staten Island has faced a lot of challenges in respect to Sandy recovery, but programs like Build it Back and Rebuild by Design are proof positive that with public-private partnerships and federal collaborations, anything can get done," Patton said.

Patton ended her day at the site of the Living Breakwaters resiliency project, which addresses long-term shoreline erosion.

President Donald Trump appointed Patton in June to head up the regional office.

She’s a longtime close associate of Trump and his family and previously planned son Eric’s wedding.