The Conflicts of Interest Board has given Daniel Doctoroff, the city’s development chief, the green light to continuing working on Moynihan Station and Hudson Yards during his remaining weeks at City Hall.
In a letter sent to first deputy mayor Patti Harris today, the board granted Doctoroff the required waiver to act on behalf of the city with his two bread-and-butter projects.
The potential conflict arose when Doctoroff announced that he would resign in January to become president of Bloomberg L.P., the financial news service firm founded by the mayor. The issue centered on the landlord at Bloomberg L.P.’s Lexington Avenue building, Vornado Realty, which plans to rebuild Moynihan Station and bidding on a lucrative deal to redevelop the massive Hudson Yards.
The board said it granted the waiver on the condition that Doctoroff recuse himself from Bloomberg’s L.P.’s ongoing negotiations with Vornado for more space for a year. It cited several other reasons for the waiver, including Doctoroff’s lack of a financial stake in Vornado and that he was not the city’s sole representative on Vornado-related issues.
In its four-and-a-half page letter, the board said it had not considered whether Doctoroff could stay on if he was asked to be an unpaid advisor or consultant to the city once he packs up and moves out of City Hall on Jan. 11. Doctoroff has said he wants to continue serving as chairman of the Hudson Yards Development Corporation.