Mayor Appoints Andrew Kimball as EDC Head
By Celia Young February 23, 2022 11:45 am
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Mayor Eric Adams appointed Industry City CEO Andrew Kimball to lead the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) on Wednesday, following reports that the mayor’s previous choice, Carlo Scissura, lobbied city officials without registering as a lobbyist.
The EDC’s previous head, Rachel Loeb, left last week before Adams had named her successor — though Commercial Observer reported that Kimball was the likely choice last Tuesday. Loeb led the organization while Adams searched for a replacement, initially landing on New York Building Congress CEO Scissura before reports from THE CITY that he pushed through private property deals in the city nixed his appointment.
“[Kimball has] a long track record of improving environments, turning around industries and bringing jobs here to the borough and the city,” Adams said at a press conference Wednesday morning.
Kimball previously worked as president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation and has led Industry City since 2013. Kimball will start in 10 days and said he would continue to partner with the private sector on city initiatives and examine the cost of the city’s ferry service to the EDC — which has been criticized for costing the city more money than the system brings in and is funded by the EDC.
“EDC has a long track record going back to the 1970s of innovation — of ways to find that nexus between the public and private sector to get big stuff done,” Kimball said. “They’ve continued to do that. I think the ferry is one of the great success stories of the last decade.”
A&E Real Estate CEO James Patchett, the former head of the EDC who left the nonprofit in February 2021 after four years at the organization, said Kimball was an “excellent choice” to lead the EDC.
“[Kimball] has an incredible track record, transforming both the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Industry City and creating thousands of good paying jobs,” Patchett said in a statement to CO. “I am really excited to see what happens when he applies his expertise to all five boroughs. I am confident he will be a great partner for the private sector while protecting the public interest.”
Adams’ first pick for the EDC, Scissura, was out a month after THE CITY reported that he was paid by a property owner, Tim Ziss, to garner support among city offices and elected officials for the development of five Brooklyn properties. Scissura could be penalized up to $30,000 for failing to register as a lobbyist while pushing for private deals with the city — some of which, including the sale of a pricey site to the city’s School Construction Authority, were successful.
Aside from announcing the appointment of Kimball, Adams also said that Lindsay Greene, the former chief strategy officer at the EDC, will become the new president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, taking over from David Ehrenberg, who left the post earlier this month after nearly 10 years.
Update: This story has been updated to include a comment from James Patchett.
Celia Young can be reached at cyoung@commercialobserver.com.
