Kenneth Ringler

Wait? Can it be? Has everyone finally agreed to a new deal at Ground Zero?

Port Authority Chairman Anthony Coscia and Executive Director Kenneth Ringler in a statement:

"We are pleased that Silverstein Properties has agreed to accept the unified proposal made by the Port Authority, Governor Pataki and Governor Corzine, and Mayor Bloomberg to rebuild the World Trade Center site. "We look forward to Silverstein Properties signing the framework proposal and, once it does, to the Port Authority Board considering the proposal at the regular monthly meeting tomorrow."

-Matthew Schuerman

At a press conference this morning, Port Authority officials came close to saying that Larry Silverstein was using the Freedom Tower as a trump card in World Trade Center talks.

“Yesterday at 5 o’clock, we had had a long day of discussion,” Kenneth Ringler, the Port Authority’s executive director, said. “We thought we were moving in the right direction. Then at 11:35 they came back with a proposal where their demands were just as high as they were before. They were increasing their demands, and quite honestly, in my view, I think they thought they had leverage and we would back down because we wanted to make a deal and we wanted to move the Freedom Tower forward.”  read more »

They thought they had leverage? Indeed. Silverstein and his team must know how much the Governor wants the Freedom Tower. (We explore this point in detail in this week's issue.)