March 24, 2005
Designs on Office, New York Post-Page Six
DIANE von Furstenberg, kingmaker? The Belgian-born fashion designer, with husband Barry Diller, opened her West 12th Street atelier the other night for hundreds of stylish types who made $150 donations to the campaign of Brian Ellner for Manhattan Borough President. The current BP, Virginia Fields, is a term-limited candidate for mayor.
The Post's Frankie Edozien reports Ellner is quitting the law firm of O'Melveny & Myers to take on several other better-known contenders, including City Council members Margarita Lopez, Eva Moskowitz and Bill Perkins and State Assemblyman Keith Wright.
Former Public Advocate Mark Green and Rep. Carolyn Maloney came and heard Ellner lament that with the average price of apartments over $1 million, Manhattan is turning into an island of the rich only. Ellner, the only gay candidate in the race, said it's time to save the borough's remaining tenements for struggling artists.
Continue reading "Designs on Office, New York Post-Page Six"
Posted by John at March 24, 2005 9:51 AM
March 7, 2005
Candidate Has Some Dapper Donors, New York Observer
Candidate Has Some Dapper Donors
By Peter Hyman
New York Observer
Brian Ellner looked at home as he made his way through the crowd of fashion designers, style editors and various trendistas sipping mulled wine at Kevin Carrigan's sprawling Chelsea loft last December. Dressed in what appeared to be the male uniform of the evening-an elegant black velvet blazer and designer jeans-he charmed old friends and new acquaintances with equal aplomb. Mr. Carrigan, the creative director of CK and Calvin Klein, had invited a hundred of his most fabulous friends to support Mr. Ellner is his latest venture. But was he launching a new line of men's moisturizers, or perhaps opening yet another overpriced boutique in the meatpacking district?
Continue reading "Candidate Has Some Dapper Donors, New York Observer"
Posted by John at March 7, 2005 10:42 AM
March 3, 2005
Fashionable Donors in Race for Manhattan Beep, The Gothamist
Fashionable Donors in Race for Manhattan Beep
By David Hirschman
The Gothamist
Although the race to fill the seat of outgoing Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields isn't quite as hot as the race for mayor, an article in this week's Observer reports that at least one candidate has begun to rake in some contributions--and from fashionable donors, no less.
Brian Ellner, an openly gay attorney who is one of a handful of candidates running for the Beep job, evidently has attracted A-list supporters to his campaign, including Diane von Furstenberg and culture czarina Ingrid Sischy.
Posted by John at March 3, 2005 9:53 AM
February 24, 2005
Brian Ellner, Town and VIllage
Former Stuy Town resident, Brian Ellner, runs for boro prez
By Maciej Wroblewski
Town and Village
Former President of District 2 School Board and Stuyvesant Town native, Brian Ellner, is joining the race for Manhattan Borough president.
Although he now lives in Chelsea, the 34-year old Ellner told T&V that his experiences of growing up in rent-stablilized Stuyvesant Town and attending excellent public schools including Middle School 104 on East 21st Street and the Bronx High School of Science are a large part of why he is running for Borough presidency.
"It is becoming more and more difficult to find affordable housing-the average price of an apartment now exceeds $1 million-and too many of our public schools are failing," Ellner explained. "There is no way that my single mother and I could have afforded to live in Manhattan without that rent stabilized apartment."
If elected to office, Ellner said he would work to develop more affordable housing by reclaiming the Battery Park City Authority revenues for their intended purpose, striving for 30 percent permanently affordable housing in all re-zoning plans, fighting for federal funding for Section 8, and working with developers and the private sector to create new models for building affordable housing.
"I would rather build 75,000 units of affordable housing than a 75,000 seat stadium," Ellner said alluding to the controversial West Side Stadium proposal...
Posted by John at February 24, 2005 9:57 AM
February 1, 2005
Brian Ellner, Scene Magazine
I'll Take Manhattan: Brian Ellner's Campaign
Continue reading "Brian Ellner, Scene Magazine"
Posted by John at February 1, 2005 9:59 AM
January 16, 2005
Manhattan Borough Presidential Race, New York Times
A Crowd Runs For a Position With Few Powers, and May Keep On Running
By Jonathan Hicks
New York Times
The post is that of Manhattan borough president, a job that in previous decades has been a launching pad for mayors like Robert F. Wagner and David N. Dinkins and mayoral contenders like Ruth Messinger and Andrew Stein. Nine candidates are seeking to replace the current borough president, C. Virginia Fields (who is herself running for mayor), and that is just for the Democratic primary.
Continue reading "Manhattan Borough Presidential Race, New York Times"
Posted by John at January 16, 2005 10:43 AM
January 14, 2005
Trippi Helps Out, Downtown Express
Trippi Goes Local
By Lincoln Anderson
Downtown Express
"He turned a long-shot candidate into a frontrunner in Howard Dean. Now, top the cutting-edge campaign manager Joe Trippi is taking on another dark horse as general consultant for Brian Ellner's Manhattan borough president race. Trippi said Ellner will bring a "new and open approach" to the office, as opposed to established candidates' top-down way of doing business..."
Posted by John at January 14, 2005 10:00 AM
