Yesterday we posted a brief item about the appointment of Bob Zuckerman as the new executive director of the Lower East Side Business Improvement District. In a phone conversation yesterday afternoon, Zuckerman told me he’s thrilled to be taking on a new challenge in such a “dynamic area.” He stressed his background as both an advocate of small business as well as for the broader community.
Most recently Zuckerman was a candidate in the very competitive five-way City Council race in Brooklyn’s 39th District won by Brad Lander. He was executive director of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation and the Gowanus Canal Conservancy. Zuckerman was also the executive director of the Greenwich Village-Chelsea Chamber of Commerce and the New York Nightlife Association. He’s served on the city’s community boards and is a longtime activist for gay issues.
Zuckerman said his top priority will be supporting businesses on the Lower East Side and bolstering the economy in Lower Manhattan. But he also emphasized his track record as a community activist, suggesting he’d reach out to community organizations and be “very visible” in the neighborhood. He’s looking forward to greeting residents at an open house this summer, when the BID completes its new Visitors Center.
Zuckerman lives in Park Slope with his partner of 13 years, Grant Neumann, an executive with Random House.
The BID’s former executive director, Roberto Ragone, has gone on to a similar position with the Belmont Business Improvement District in the Bronx.
