Expand Skyler's Scope:
Lieber City's New Economic Deputy

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

Mayor Bloomberg tapped Economic Development Corporation President Robert C. Lieber Dec. 27 to become Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, replacing outgoing Deputy Mayor Daniel L. Doctoroff.

ROBERT C. LIEBER: Steps in for Doctoroff.

Mr. Lieber will begin his new role on Jan. 8 and will make $196,000. The Mayor also announced new responsibilities for Deputy Mayor for Administration Edward Skyler, appointing him Deputy Mayor for Operations.

'He's a Leader'

"He's shown the kind of leadership that makes him the right person, I think, to direct our five-borough economic development strategy," Mr. Bloomberg said of Mr. Lieber at a press conference.

Mr. Lieber will lead the city's economic development and planning efforts and oversee and coordinate the Departments of City Planning, Finance, and Housing Preservation and Development and the city's Off-Track Betting Corporation, among others agencies.

Mr. Lieber's first association with city government came in 2006 when he led a pro-bono team from Lehman Brothers, where he was a managing director, that advised the city as it was renegotiating the World Trade Center lease. In January 2007, Mr. Bloomberg appointed him to lead the city's Economic Development Corporation, where he oversaw massive rezoning projects in Coney Island, Jamaica, and Willet's Point.

Mr. Lieber said that he expects to consult with Mr. Doctoroff, an influential presence for six years at City Hall, who announced earlier this month that he was leaving to head up Bloomberg LP. "I don't think there's any change of direction, I think it's just full speed ahead," the new Deputy Mayor said. "I will just pick up and carry on in his relatively large shoes."

Wider Jurisdiction

Mr. Skyler's new responsibilities include overseeing the Departments of Transportation, Environmental Protection, and Buildings and the Taxi and Limousine Commission. He will continue to oversee the Departments of Sanitation and Citywide Administrative Services, among other agencies, and to assist the Mayor in managing the Police and Fire Departments and the Office of Labor Relations.

A search for a replacement for Mr. Lieber at EDC is currently under way.

After the new Deputy Mayor made some remarks and thanked Mr. Bloomberg for the job opportunity, the Mayor told him, "Bob, as I say to most people who join our administration, don't screw it up."