Marty Markowitz’s top aide to quit; move casts doubt on mayor bid
March 20, 2008
Borough President Marty Markowitz’s longtime chief of staff will step down Thursday after accepting a job in the private sector - an indication Markowitz may not run for mayor.
Greg Atkins, who has served as chief of staff to Markowitz since 2003, has accepted a job as director of development for developer V3 Hotels, which unveiled plans in November to build a $60million hotel in downtown Brooklyn.
Former City Council candidate and current Markowitz lawyer Carlo Scissura will replace Atkins, who will work under V3 Executive Officer Ben Nash, a 25-year-old Crown Heights hotelier who plans to build Indigo, a hotel on Duffield St.
“I have a 5-month-old at home, and it’s funny how your perspective changes when you have your first child,” said Atkins, who denied his resignation had anything to do with Markowitz’s future political maneuvering.
“I love Marty, but this is a decision I had to make for family, and [running for mayor] is a decision he’ll have to make for himself.”
Political experts and others, however, said the resignation may signal that Markowitz does not intend to run for mayor next year, when his term as borough president ends.
“Chiefs of staff don’t usually leave jobs with potential mayoral winners,” said political analyst Hank Sheinkopf.
“To many, this will appear that this is the beginning of the end for Markowitz’s mayoral dream, but no one will know for sure until we see how much money he has or has not raised.”
Another source who has worked with Atkins and Markowitz said the Dyker Heights resident had been a major factor in pushing Markowitz’s mayoral ambitions forward.
“He was really the one who wanted Marty to run for mayor, and he was working on it very hard,” said the source.
Sources described Atkins as a close confidant of Markowitz’s who did “more than just the administrative functions of a chief of staff. He’s been his policy person and he’s worked with him on a number of land-use decisions.”
Last month, Democratic voters named Markowitz as their top choice for mayor in a Marist College/WNBC poll, with 18% favoring the former state senator as Bloomberg’s successor.
Markowitz insisted that Atkins’ departure was not a sign he had decided not run for mayor.
“No, it’s not an indication,” Markowitz said. “If Greg didn’t have a baby, it might be, but no. I’m lucky to have had him as chief of staff for five years. That’s a very long time.
“I think about [running for mayor] obviously very often,” he added. “It’s a very challenging decision to make.”
Source: NY Daily News
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