By Stephen Stirling
Lieber, a former investment banker with Lehman Brothers, has served as the president of the city's EDC since January 2007, when Doctoroff appointed him to the post. Although Leiber has served in a government position for only a year, Bloomberg said last week he expects his transition to the role of deputy mayor for economic development to be seamless, because of his familiarity with the city's future plans.”As Economic Development Corporation president, Bob Lieber helped reshape our city with an unprecedented range of projects in all five boroughs,” Bloomberg said. “His skills and experience in the private sector and in city government will serve him well as he fills some very big shoes here at City Hall.”Lieber will replace Doctoroff, who held the position for the first six years of Bloomberg's administration. Doctoroff helped lay the groundwork for several of the largest development projects currently in the works for Queens, including Hunter's Point in Long Island City, the planned redevelopment of Willets Point and the Jamaica Rezoning Plan.Lieber worked closely with Doctoroff over the past year, with much of his time dedicated to the Jamaica Rezoning and the beginning stages of the city's planned $3 billion development of Willets Point.”Even before I became part of the team, I was enormously impressed by the breadth and the depth of the economic development Mayor Bloomberg and Dan Doctoroff were doing, and I am extremely thrilled about – and grateful for – the chance to come to City Hall at this exciting moment in the city's history,” Lieber said.In his new role, Lieber will not only oversee and coordinate the operations of the EDC, but also the Department of City Planning, the Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting, the Department of Finance, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, the Business Integrity Commission, the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation and the Department of Small Business Services.Bloomberg said Lieber will officially begin work as deputy mayor on Jan. 8.Bloomberg also noted that Lieber's title, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, is slightly shorter than Doctoroff's. The title also used to include “and Rebuilding,” which had been in place since the Sept. 11 attacks.”I think that says something about where the city is, and what we're focusing on. Reconstruction time has come and gone. Development time continues,” Bloomberg said.Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at Sstirling@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
