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MTA nominee mixes different worlds

By Marlene Naanes, amNewYork Staff Writer | MNaanes@am-ny.com

June 27, 2007

Dale Hemmerdinger, nominated to be MTA chairman. (amNewYork Photo/ Lane Johnson / June 26, 2007)

To his colleagues, he's not just another real-estate mogul about to lead one of the largest transportation authorities in the world.

Dale Hemmerdinger is a down-to-earth guy but also an intellectual, who hosts dinner parties in his Central Park South apartment that end up as think tank discussions.

"The businessman part of him likes ideas and wants them to make it into action," said New York University vice president Lynne Brown, who knows Hemmerdinger through his role as a NYU trustee.

"You can't look at transportation in isolation."

After Gov. Eliot Spitzer nominated Hemmerdinger, 62, last week to be MTA chairman, speculation grew on whether he'd support a fare hike or whether he'd be a powerful figure like Peter Kalikow, his predecessor and a fellow real-estate barron.

If Hemmerdinger is approved by the State Senate, its unclear how much power he'll hold. Observers have said Kalikow lost power when Spitzer appointed Elliot "Lee" Sander as executive director and chief executive. Either way, Hemmerdinger will still oversee monthly board meetings.

Advocacy groups like the Straphangers Campaign are taking a wait-and-see approach.

Spokesman Gene Russianoff noted that while Hemmerdinger chaired the Citizens Budget Commission, a nonpartisan think tank, the commission recommended an increase in riders' share of MTA costs, 15 percent more than the national average. Russianoff said he hoped the real-estate executive keeps an open mind.

Hemmerdinger won't yet say whether he'd support a fare hike. "My focus is going to be to make sure the MTA's services are safe, efficient and affordable," he said.

The father of two didn't plan on a real estate career when he left New York University in 1967 with a bachelor's degree in fine arts. Hemmerdinger had his eyes on foreign service. But after his father died and following a stern talk from a family friend, he took up the family business at 22. He's been doing it ever since, heading real estate development firms Hemmerdinger Corp. and ATCO Properties.

Hemmerdinger, a Democrat, describes himself as an advocate for transparent government. He and his wife recently hosting a fundraiser for the state Democratic Party.

The cocktail night featured Slida Wall Spitzer, the governor's wife, and tickets ranged from $250 to $10,000.

Hemmerdinger's wife, Elizabeth, has contributed $25,000 to Spitzer since 2005. The Hemmerdingers' support of Spitzer is a point of contention with Albany Republicans.

Republican State Chairman Joseph Mondello called for an investigation into whether the nomination was a pay-to-play deal.

The Republican-controlled State Senate must approve the nomination in a vote possibly happening in July. Diana Fortuna, president of the budget commission on which Hemmerdinger served, calls him an independent thinker who was known on the board as lively and inquisitive.

"He is a believer in doing the right things," Fortuna said.