Richard Lipsky

The one thing everyone seems to agree on about incoming Governor David Paterson is that he’s funny and, in comparison to Eliot Spitzer, easy to get along with.

According to lobbyist Richard Lipsky, who I spoke to this afternoon, that may change after he gets sworn in as governor on Monday.  read more »

As local politicians scramble for contributions from lobbyists ahead of new campaign finance restrictions, said lobbyists continue to sound the alarm about the new rules.

Sid Davidoff, a lobbyist who is suing to block the new law, which will cap lobbyist campaign contributions to city candidates at $400, told me the lawsuit is “specifically aimed at the council who, in its wisdom, decided to take away the constitutional rights of ordinary New Yorkers.”

Davidoff added, “A lot of people understand what was done here, but there still are a lot of people who don't.”

More after the jump.  read more »

Here's lobbyist and prolific blogger Richard Lipsky explaining why Eliot Spitzer's governing style might work better in City Hall than in Albany.

A group trying to block the mayor's congestion pricing plan just hired lobbyist Richard Lipsky, he just told me.

He was hired by a group called the Anti-Congestion Pricing Coalition as an individual, he told me, and his work on this issue will be separate from his anti-big-box-store role with the Neighborhood Retail Alliance. 

   read more »

Taking stock of plan to expant Columbia Univerisity's campus uptown, lobbyist Richard Lipsky is criticizing what he says is a possible conflict of interest among some key principles, including Harlem powerhouse Bill Lynch.

On his website, Lipsky writes that among other possible actions, critics of the plan "will be calling for an investigation of any conflicts of interest between elected officials on the LDC [local development corporation] and Bill Lynch, recently hired by Columbia to represent the university's interest."

I just got off the phone with Bill Lynch, who said the argument is pretty weak.

"Well I don't see how we have any conflict of interest," he said. "We've been hired by Columbia University to do outreach to the community and that's what we've done."

When asked about the elected officials in the area, Lynch said, "I know them all, but I don't have any official relationship with them."

Which, he said, leaves him a little puzzled as to what the problem is.

"I'm not a lawyer," Lynch said. "My lawyers tell me it's not a conflict of interest. It looks like they're grasping for straws. That's what it looks like to me."

-- Azi Paybarah

In the paper this week, I wrote about anunusual, private memo from a lobbyist that details the way to build a racial coalition on the CIty Counil around a single, contentious issue. Richard Lipsky, a lobbyist for the Neighborhood Retail Alliance, is trying to organize a "diverse umbrella coalition" of Council members to support a crackdown on street vendors without appearing anti-immigrant, according to an email he wrote.

Here, from the memo, is a list of the officials that can help him do that, and of what they do -- and don't -- bring to the table :

Dan Garodnick: extremely proactive in support of reclaiming the streets of his district;

Alan Gerson: Active on the lower east side and in Chinatown and looking to put together comprehensive peddler legislation. Gerson will also be able to bring a number of Chinese merchant groups into the expanding coalition;

Hiram Monseratte: A key player for us since his support for our position will go a long way towards reducing the anti-immigrant chants of the street vendor cohort. Monseratte is also looking to actively recruit Hispanic store owners in the Roosevelt Avenue corridor, another helpful contribution towards the creation of a multi-ethnic coalition;

Jessica Lappin: Has shown some interest in the issue but more so out of a concern to placate her East Side community/block associations. It remains to be seen just how active she will be on the entire question;

Joe Addabbo: Solid, pro-business legislator who will help us recruit a multi-ethnic merchant contingent in the Ozone Park community;

David Yassky: Chair of the council's small business committee, he will be an articulate spokesperson for controlling vendor proliferation. His staff will also be helpful at reaching out to the city's small business groups;

Leroy Comrie: Chair of the Consumer Affairs Committee, he is someone who may play a key role in the legislative process. Not necessarily a forceful leader but, if he is given enough cover by his colleagues, can be instrumental in carrying legislation forward;

John Liu: Chair of the Transportation Committee he has staked out some strong positions on street safety. His advocacy on the peddlers/street safety issue, given his constituency, would be very valuable (also has ties to key Chinese business groups);

Vinnie Gentile: Bay Ridge lawmaker who is extremely supportive local business interests;

Jimmy Vacca: District Manger of a local community board for over twenty five years, Vacca is a strong supporter of local businesses and street safety. He has ties to about five or six local merchant groups in the East Bronx;

Miguel Martinez: Important potential ally who has ties to the Bodega Association as well as to the National Supermarket Association (independent Dominican supermarket owners).

The memo, which was passed on to me by email, goes on to say:

This is just a brief overview. It would be my suggestion that we look to create a diverse umbrella coalition that has the financial support of the major real estate organizations. In this way we will be able to generate strong public support for beleaguered (and often minority) shopkeepers while at the same time generating enough resources from larger behind-the-scenes business interests.

In a brief interview, Lipsky confirmed that he wrote it, and explained what he described as the necessity of demonstrating diverse backing for the measure. "There's been a sense from certain elements in the council that if we're to be successful, we have to demonstrate the depth of support we have," he said.

As for how the crackdown on largely immigrant peddlers could possibly be presented as pro-immigrant, he said, "There are 9,000 food vendor licenses. There are only 4,000 food cart licenses, which means in all likelihood, there is a pool of contract labor that is manning the car for people who own the carts."

The whole email is after the jump.  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah

Richard Lipsky, whom we have noted is a paid consultant to Forest City Ratner, pumps up the warm and fuzzy part of the Nets arena naming deal : a $2.5 million "Nets-Barclays Sports Alliance." Compared to the nearly $400 million that the Nets are getting for the arena naming rights, this is the stuff that comes out of chickens, but it does show how broad and extensive Forest City's efforts have been to gain support for the Atlantic Yards project. -Matthew Schuerman

By a 21-0 vote, the City Council’s Land Use Committee slathered praise on The Related Companies’ proposed shopping mall at Bronx Terminal Market Wednesday morning. The full council is expected to approve it later this afternoon.

Presumably, the community benefits agreement between the developer and Bronx elected officials will be signed by then. (A press conference is scheduled for 1 p.m.) As of this morning, it had not. But Jesse Masyr, an attorney for Related, said the agreement required any “warehouse shopping club” that leased space in the mall to honor food stamps and W.I.C. Related would pitch in half the membership fee for 2,000 low-income households for the first five years. How those families will be chosen is yet to be determined. Richard Lipsky, a lobbyist for the merchants who would be displaced by the mall, said afterwards, “Basically, elected officials have become lottery officials for the 40,000 food stamp recipients within the congressional district.”

The C.B.A., which Masyr said was enforceable, also calls for Related to contribute $3 million to a referral service that would direct the retail jobs for Bronx residents. Borough contractors and suppliers will be given preference (ditto on details), he said, and the mall would be built to environmentally green standards.

Separately, the head of the merchants association, Stanley Mayer, signed an agreement Tuesday night accepting $30 a square foot for moving expenses, Masyr said, including $10 from Related, $10 from the city, and $10 from the Bronx empowerment zone. No deductions for Related’s legal expenses. Mayer was not talking to press. The individual merchants, though, could decline the offer—and be left with what exactly?

One council member was said to be changing his vote. Nonetheless, an issue that got a lot of ink in the press turned out to be a newspaper dragon. -Matthew Schuerman

The projects that Richard Lipsky has killed over the years stare down from his office walls like the  read more »

A platoon of elite lobbyists is preparing for political war withMayor Michael Bloomberg, crafting po  read more »