New York City

Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio plans a ‘People’s Inauguration’

Inaugural committee includes celebs, business owners, religious

December 1, 2013 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio announced on Saturday that he plans to throw an ‘Inauguration for All’ which will be “accessible to New Yorkers from every borough, neighborhood and walk of life.”

The inauguration takes place on January 1.

De Blasio appointed a 73-member inaugural committee to plan the day’s events. Committee members range from celebs like Sarah Jessica Parker, Steve Buscemi, Susan Sarandon and Harry Belafonte, to members of organizations which backed him throughout his campaign, such as 1199SEIU Healthcare Workers. The list also includes educators like former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch, parents, business owners, politicians and activists, including hip hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons.

Joining the committee are a number of religious leaders including Bishop Orlando Findlayter, Senior Pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship, Monsignor Jamie J. Gigantiello, Vicar for Development for the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, and Rabbi Heshie Dembitzer of Bobover Yeshiva B’nai Zion.

De Blasio chose Gabrielle Fialkoff, president of a jewelry company, as his Inaugural Chair. Fialkoff served as the Finance Chair for de Blasio’s campaigns for Mayor and Public Advocate. She also served as Finance Director for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Senate race in 2000.

“This was a victory built from the grassroots, and our Inauguration will be held in that same spirit – an Inauguration for all New Yorkers. For us, it’s not just about bringing people to City Hall. It’s about ensuring City Hall is open to all the people of New York,” de Blasio said in a statement..

“This will be a celebration that represents all of New York,” Fialkoff said. “This will be a time to bring the city together as this administration prepares to deliver the change New Yorkers expect at City Hall.”

More details will be rolled out soon, according to the statement.

Members of the Inaugural Committee

Gabrielle Fialkoff, Chair of the Inauguration
Eugenia Acuna, Former Director, Adolescent Reproductive Health Programs, Consultant at NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Yvette Aguirre, Retired Principal, P.S. 24
Marisol Alcantara, District Leader
Jordan Barowitz, Director of External Affairs, The Durst Organization
Harry Belafonte, Activist and Performer
Barry Berke, Partner, Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel LLP
Rodneyse Bichotte, State Committeewoman; District Leader, Assembly District 42
Fernando Bohorquez Jr., Partner, Baker & Hostetler LLP
Mili Bonilla, Parent Activist
Steve Buscemi, Actor
Lillie Cariño Higgins, Political Action Fund Director, 1199 SEIU
Raysa Castillo, Attorney, Castillo & Associates, P.C.
Eddie Chiu, Advisor, Lin Sing Association
Dr. Una S.T. Clarke, Progressive Democrats Political Association; Former New York City Council Member
Alan Cumming, Actor
Sonia A.M. Daly, Former Chief of Staff, State Senator Kevin Parker
Matthew W. Daus, Partner, Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf
Fidel Del Valle, Transportation Consultant; President, Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services
Rabbi Heshie Dembitzer, Bobover Yeshiva B’nai Zion
Janet Dewart Bell, Retired
Junot Diaz, Author
Jay Eisenhofer, Founder, Grant & Eisenhofer P.A.
Bishop Orlando Findlayter, Senior Pastor, New Hope Christian Fellowship; Chairman, Churches United to Save and Heal
Marian Fontana, Board Member, Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, Families Advisory Council
Charlene Gayle, Owner, The Macon Realty
Monsignor Jamie J. Gigantiello, Vicar for Development, Diocese of Brooklyn
Lewis Goldstein, Vice Chair, Bronx Democratic County Committee; 504 Democratic Club; Stonewall Democrats
Arun Govil, President, Ducon Technologies Inc.
Nick Gravante Jr., Partner, Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
Beth Green, Attorney
Sarah Currie-Halpern, President, SAC Marketing
Bishop Sylveta Hamilton-Gonzales, Founder and Principal, M.A.C.A.D.E.M.Y.
Fred Heller, Partner, Team Systems
H. Dale Hemmerdinger, President, ATCO Group
Louis Hernandez, Former President, NYPD Hispanic Society
Matthew Hiltzik, Founder, Hiltzik Strategies
Lorna Brett Howard, Philanthropist
Jay Jacobs, Chairman, Nassau County Democratic Committee
Joni Kletter, Associate, Kletter, Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein P.C.
Father Alex Karloutsos, Assistant to the Archbishop for Public Affairs, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Eric Kumar, Co-Chair, South Asians for de Blasio; President and Partner, American Factoring Group, Inc.
Imam Khlalid Latif, Executive Director and University Chaplain, Islamic Center, New York University
Bishop Doctor Annette Lazarus-Rose, Senior Pastor, Bethesda Healing Center
Yitzchok “Isaac” Leshinsky, CEO, Housing Bridge
Gary Mayerson, Partner, Mayerson & Associates
Morris Missry, Partner, Wachtel Missry LLP
Rud Morales, Primary One, Inc.
Mike Muse, CEO, Muse Recordings
Sarah Jessica Parker, Actress
Don Peebles, Owner, Peebles Corporation
Ronald Perelman, Chairman and CEO, MacAndrews & Forbes
Rosie Perez, Actress
Mark Peters, Partner, Edwards Wildman
Suzanne Peters, Director of Operations, WD Wick Investment
Yuri Radzievsky, CEO, globalWORKS
Diane Ravitch, Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education
Jona Rechnitz, JSR Capital LLC
Jeremy Reichberg, JR Consulting
Bill Samuels, Effective New York
Susan Sarandon, Actress
Michael Schlein, CEO, Accion
Michael Schrieber, Vice President of Strategic Planning, Cassena Care
Alan Sclar, Partner, Sclar Adler LLP
Rajiv Sharma, Owner, Pranna
Grace Shu, Chair, Asian American Voters Coalition
Russell Simmons, Rush Communications
Steven M. Sinacori, Partner, Akerman LLP
Harendra “H” Singh, Owner, Singh Group
Marianne Spraggins, Managing Director, Bond Factor
Estela Vasquez, Executive Vice President, Health System 6, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
Ocynthia Williams, Parent Leader and Organizer, NYC Coalition for Educational Justice
Steven Witkoff, Owner, The Witkoff Group

Honorary Inaugural Committee

Rep. Yvette Clarke
Rep. Eliot Engel
State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson
State Senator James Sanders Jr.
State Senator Bill Perkins
State Senator Liz Krueger
Assemblyman Luis Sepúlveda
Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh
Assemblyman Félix Ortiz
Assemblywoman Joan Millman
Assemblyman Jim Brennan
Council Member Andy King
Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito
Council Member Brad Lander
Council Member Jumaane Williams
Council Member Mathieu Eugene
Council Member Vincent Gentile
Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean
Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Theresa Freeman, President, Manhattan Chapter, National Action Network; District Leader
William Allen, District Leader
Leo Barrile, District Leader
George Gresham, President, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
Jonathan Westin, Executive Director, New York Communities for Change
Chris Shelton, Vice President, Communications Workers of America District 1
Jill Furillo, RN, Executive Director, New York State Nurses Association
Bill Granfield, President, UNITE HERE Local 100
Dr. Barbara Bowen, President, Professional Staff Congress
Augustino Gagliardi, Associated Musicians of Greater New York/American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 802
Dr. Sepideh Sedgh, Committee of Interns and Residents – SEIU Healthcare
Dr. Frank Proscia, President, Doctors Council SEIU
James J. Claffey Jr., International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local One
Mark Carotenuto, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 2013
John H. Marsh III, President, Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association
Tom Shcherbenko, President, Staten Island Democratic Association
Independent Neighborhood Democrats
Lower Manhattan Democrats
Bay Ridge Democrats
New Kings Democrats
Barack Obama Democratic Club of Upper Manhattan
Democratic Club of El Barrio
Haitian American Association for Political Action PAC
Tenants PAC
StreetsPAC





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