City & State - October 7, 2013 by City & State

RISING STARS

BRIAN KASZUBA EDITOR, CITYLAND AT NEW YORK LAW SCHOOL’S CENTER FOR NEW YORK CITY LAW AGE: 34

olitics did not come naturally to Edgar Santana. Santana grew up in a nonpolitical household the Bronx, went to college at Fordham and volunteered for Hillary Clinton’s Senate campaign before he got his first major political gig working for the state Democratic Party. He quickly was drawn to union culture thanks to his boss, Raymond Pocino, who would become a mentor. “I look up to the guy. He’s been in labor for most of his life, started out in the field in heavy highway,” Santana said. “Ray is so different from other union leaders. He stands out to me the most.”

MICHAEL SIMAS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW YORK CITY AGE: 32

OCTOBER 7, 2013 | cityandstateny.com

s editor of CityLand, Brian Kaszuba keeps a close eye on the New York City Council, the city’s Planning Commission, landmark hearings and “the whole land use process.” Kaszuba brings plenty of insight to the job, thanks to his years of experience working for elected officials, on political campaigns, for an advocacy group and a city charter commission. That doesn’t even include his stint as an attorney. These days, while leading CityLand’s coverage of the city’s changing landscape, he has also been overseeing big changes at the publication. When he came on as editor about a year ago,

the print edition had been dropped in favor of an online-only product with more articles. “We’ve been able to increase our readership numbers, our subscriber lists—we’ve done a lot more with social media and getting the word out, getting our content out to a wider audience,” Kaszuba said. “We’re getting a lot more commentaries from people in the public sector, as well as covering issues earlier on in the process at the grassroots level, so we’re covering local preservation groups as they’re trying to start the process of getting something landmarked or creating a historic district. We [also] got commentaries [from candidates] who ran for office this past year on their ideas for what the landscape should be going forward for the next 10 to 20 years.”

Santana primarily advocates for commercial construction laborers, including the workers who are building the Freedom Tower. He hasn’t been to the top of the tower yet, but he has toured its shell. “Seeing a car and an ambulance at a pancake of an inch from where we were struck me,” he said. “It reminded me of the gravity and enormity of the damage done that day.” When he isn’t championing the interests of laborers in City Hall, Santana is busy amassing a comic book archive in his Yonkers home. “I’m into Walking Dead right now, but my second favorite is Batman,” he said. “He’s a normal guy who always tackles the big problems and finds a way to overcome it. He doesn’t have superpowers; he has to figure it out.”

If you were not working in politics or government, what would you be doing? “I would be in a technology firm or working for Google in its research department. I am a big technology geek. I have an iPhone 5, an Android Motor Razor, a Mac Mini, a MacBook Air—I’m into how it makes managing my life easier.”

ne of the best parts about Michael Simas’ job is collaborating with top b u s i n e s s leaders like Goldman Sachs’ Lloyd Blankfein, News Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch and BlackRock’s Larry Fink. “We’re really lucky because we deal with the CEOs of the city’s largest employers, so at our meetings you’re always in the room with folks that are taking your thinking to another level, because you’re really with folks that are at the top of their game and the top of their careers,” Simas said. Simas started doing government relations at the Partnership a decade ago and rose through the ranks,

leaving in 2011 for a stint at General Electric before returning as executive vice president a year and a half ago. He manages just about everything for the business advocacy group, from research and policy to government relations and public affairs. His top focus is the transition to a new mayor, including a series of goals laid out in the Partnership’s “NYC Jobs Blueprint” this year. In past years Simas’ work at the Partnership included pushing the state to switch from the old Empire Zones to the Excelsior program and prodding the city to reform its tax laws in 2009. “Big issues like those are the ones that stand out; trying to improve the city and state economy, focus resources in a more effective way, and really support job growth,” Simas said.

What is your favorite place in New York City? “Merchant’s Cigar Bar on 62nd and First. I haven’t been in a while, but it’s always the place I end up at.” —AS

If you were not working in politics or government, what would you be doing? “I’d love to be playing music in an Irish band or shooting pool on the way to the pro tour.” What is your favorite place in New York City? “Coney Island, absolutely. As a Brooklynite, I love going there. It’s got a little bit of everything, from Nathan’s Famous hot dogs to a great baseball team in the Cyclones to wonderful rides and food. When I get a chance, it’s definitely Coney Island, Brooklyn, U.S.A.” —JL

EDGAR SANTANA NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION MARKET REPRESENTATIVE, LABORERSEMPLOYERS COOPERATION AND EDUCATION TRUST AGE: 35

If you were not working in politics or government, what would you be doing? “I love cooking and barbequing, and I think I’d go to culinary school, take a shot at that.” What is your favorite place in New York City? “Our offices are downtown. I grew up in Rhode Island, so I love being around the water. Being in Manhattan by Battery Park, being able to see the water and the cobblestone streets reminds me of New England, where I grew up.” —JL