From left: Governor Andrew Cuomo, Real Estate Board of New York President Steve Spinola and Tishman Speyer President Rob SpeyerDuring the quiet month of December in an off-election year, a political lobbying group led by REBNY President Steve Spinola and Tishman Speyer President Rob Speyer has spent $2.8 million praising Governor Andrew Cuomo in television ads, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The ads, approved by the three-person executive team of the Committee to Save New York (the third member is Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City), claim that despite challenges Cuomo is “getting things done,” including creating a solid jobs plan and lowering taxes. [more]

After months of controversy surrounding Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, embattled group Tishman Speyer Properties is finally getting some good news. Over 1.05 million square feet of Tishman-owned space was leased in December, the Post’s Lois Weiss noted today, and on the heels of yesterday’s news that CB Richard Ellis had renewed its 125,000-square-foot lease at the firm’s MetLife Building, more lease signings are making news. Simon & Schuster has reportedly signed a deal to extend its lease for five more years at Tishman’s 1230 Sixth Avenue, while Michael Kors has extended his lease for 15 more years at 11 West 42nd Street. Although Robert Speyer, president of Tishman, wouldn’t comment on the tenants for Weiss’ report, he did say that he believes “rents are back to 2005 [levels].”