New York’s clueless GOP








Ever since the American voter gave Mitt Romney a drubbing in the November election, the best minds in Republican circles have been debating how to revive the battered GOP brand.

You might think this would be a special priority for New York City, where Romney captured just 18 percent of the vote. You might think in a sluggish economy, there’s an opening for a party that distinguishes itself from the usual run of candidates vying to out-spend, out-tax and out-regulate their rivals. You might even think conservative and Republican leaders would be looking for ways to make this year’s vital mayoral race a contest of ideas.





Staten Island Advance /Landov



James Molinaro





You would be wrong.

Take the effort to get Adolfo Carrión — a two-term Democratic Bronx borough president who just finished an undistinguished stint in the Obama administration — onto the Republican ticket.

Now, anyone who admires Ronald Reagan can hardly oppose Democrats turning Republican. But when Reagan switched, it was over ideas, and that’s what he brought into his new party.

In contrast, all Carrión offers is that he’s a Latino with a $1.2 million campaign kitty. Yet, in New York City’s modern GOP, two of the three county chairmen whose OK he needs to get on the Republican primary ballot have signaled they’ll give it to him.

Or take Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro.

True, Molinaro is a registered Conservative, but he’s successfully run three times for office on the Republican line. So what’s his answer? Endorsing City Council Speaker Christine Quinn — the leading Democrat in the race.

Is this opportunism the best conservatives and Republicans can do? At a time when Democrats are fielding candidates beholden to more spending, more taxes and the public unions, isn’t there an opening for an opposition party that makes the case — moral as well as practical — for the markets that create this city’s wealth?

This may not be a recipe for instant success. But we guarantee that treating the GOP as a flag of convenience instead of working hard to bring its message to new voters and new constituencies will only guarantee that Republicans will forever remain a New York minority.



Have an opinion on this Post editorial? Send it in to LETTERS@NYPOST.COM!










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Don’t get too personal on LinkedIn




















Have you ever received a request to connect on LinkedIn from someone you didn’t know or couldn’t remember?

A few weeks ago, Josh Turner encountered this situation. The online request to connect came from a businessman on the opposite coast of the United States. It came with a short introduction that ended with “Let’s go Blues!” a reference to Turner’s favorite hockey team in St. Louis that he had mentioned in his profile. “It was a personal connection … that’s building rapport.”

LinkedIn is known for being the professional social network where members expect you to keep buttoned-down behavior and network online like you would at a business event. With more than 200 million registered users, the site facilitates interaction as a way to boost your stature, gain a potential customer or rub elbows with a future boss.





But unlike most other social networking sites, LinkedIn is all about business — and you need to take special care that you act accordingly. As in any workplace, the right amount of personal information sharing could be the foot in the door, say experts. The wrong amount could slam it closed.

“Anyone in business needs a professional online presence,’’ says Vanessa McGovern, the VP of Business Development for the Global Institute for Travel Entrepreneurs and a consultant to business owners on how to use LinkedIn. But they should also heed LinkedIn etiquette or risk sending the wrong messages.

One of the biggest mistakes, McGovern says is getting too personal — or not personal enough.

Sending a request to connect blindly equates to cold calling and likely will lead nowhere. Instead, it should come with a personal note, an explanation of who you are, where you met, or how the connection can benefit both parties, McGovern explains.

Your profile should get a little personal, too, she says. “Talk about yourself in the first person and add a personal flair — your goals, your passion … make yourself seem human.”

Beyond that, keep your LinkedIn posts, invitations, comments and photos professional, McGovern says.

If you had a hard day at the office or your child just won an award, you may want to share it with your personal network elsewhere — but not on LinkedIn.

“This is not Facebook. Only share what you would share at a professional networking event,” she says.

Another etiquette pitfall on LinkedIn is the hit and run — making a connection and not following up.

At least once a week, Ari Rollnick, a principal in kabookaboo, an integrated marketing agency in Coral Gables, gets a request to connect with someone on LinkedIn that he has never met or heard of before. The person will have no connections in common and share no information about why they want to build a rapport.

“I won’t accept. That’s a lost opportunity for them,” Rollnick says.

He approaches it differently. When Rollnick graduated from Emory with an MBA in 2001, he had a good idea that his classmates would excel in the business world. Now, Rollnick wanted to find out just where they went and reestablish a connection.

With a few clicks, he tracked down dozens of them on LinkedIn, requested a connection, and was back on their radar. Then came the follow-up — letting them know through emails, phone calls and posts that he was creating a two-way street for business exchange. “Rather than make that connection and disappearing , I let them know I wanted to open the door to conversation.”





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2006 report detailed problems with Havana Palms condos in Little Havana




















In January 2006, executives at Montara Land V, LLC, hired a firm to do an analysis of the roof, structure, plumbing, and other conditions of an apartment complex in Little Havana that they wanted to convert to condominiums.

This report, submitted to the state department that regulates conversions, concluded that the buildings, constructed in 1946, barely had five more years of “useful life.” The cost for repairs would be about $700,000, according to the analysis by architect James Chastanet.

“My report was based on the age of the building and on a visual inspection,” said Chastanet, who did not see structural damage. “It’s an old building and that had to be clearly highlighted in the report, which serves as disclosure for potential buyers.”





Montara Land’s executives presented this information to the 19 buyers, most of them low-income people who relied on government help to buy their condominiums between December 2006 and July 2010. Yet many of them never read this information, which was included as part of a large package of documents from the Havana Palms condominium association.

Last month, seven years after the analysis, the living-room floor of one of the condominiums collapsed and the owner had to move. The floors in other units also do not appear to be firm.

Aníbal Duarte-Viera, one of the partners of Montara Land, said Monday that he would have never knowingly bought a property with structural damage.

“As an investor, why would I do that?” asked Duarte-Viera. “I bought that property because it was pretty and it was a moment when everybody was making these conversions to condominiums.”

Public records show that Duarte-Viera and business partner Gabriel De la Campa bought the complex in 2005 for $2.5 million and invested about $120,000 in repairs to the electrical system and water pipes besides installing a central air conditioning system, according to city permits. They also installed tiles on the floors, though they did not get a city permit for that.

Duarte-Viera, a lawyer, said he had little involvement in managing the complex and therefore could not answer questions about repairs or the conversion, even though his signature appears on various documents. De la Campa has not responded to multiple calls from el Nuevo Herald in recent weeks.

The documents that Montara Land submitted to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation in Tallahassee indicate that the company deposited $62,000 in special accounts for roof and plumbing repairs as required by state laws.

Apparently, they were not obliged to open a reserve account for other structural repairs, although they had to make monthly payments to the association for each of the 32 condominiums for the general maintenance of the complex. As soon as they sold the condominiums, the responsibility for those payments — between $162 and $222 per month — passed to the new owners.

The Havana Palms unit owners began to notice in 2009 that the floors in some condominiums were sinking. Montara Land began some repairs. Records indicate the work was never completed.

By 2011, after the real estate market plunged, Montara sold the remaining 13 condominiums to investor Constantino Cicchelli for $475,000.

For now, a group of Havana Palms owners is talking to an attorney who has agreed to take their case pro bono. Meanwhile, city officials have asked the owners to present a repair plan for the floors to avoid a mass eviction.

Duarte-Viera said Wednesday that the condo owners should determine the extent of the structural damage and how it started. He added that he is willing to pay for a detailed evaluation.





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Christina Applegate's Gorgeous Wedding Ring

Christina Applegate and longtime boyfriend Martyn Noble said 'I do' on Saturday and now we have a look at the actress' stunning sparkler.

PICS: Most Memorable Celeb Weddings of All-Time

The dazzling diamond ring by Neil Lane completed Applegate's wedding attire along with a gown by Maria Lucia Hohan.

The event took place during a private ceremony at the couple's Los Angeles home. This marks Applegate's second marriage, as she divorced former husband Johnathon Schaech in 2007.

RELATED: Christina Applegate Ties the Knot!

Applegate and Noble share one child together, two-year-old daughter Sadie.

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Vornado ceo out, roth in








Michael Fascitelli, the dynamic chief executive officer of Vornado Realty Trust, is stepping down to “take a break” from the company after four year atop the firm.

Chairman Steve Roth, who served as CEO for 20 years until Fascitelli took over in 2009, will step back into the chief executive role.

Both moves take effect on Apr. 16 and Roth said he expects the transition to happen “seamlessly.”

Fascitelli, 56, will remain on Vornado’s board, keep an office at the 888 Seventh Ave. headquarters and be available for “advice and counsel.”

The news rattled both the stock and the real estate world as the company owns more than 100 million square feet of offices and retail properties in the US and is one of the city’s largest office and retail owners.





Michael Fascitelli

Getty Images





Michael Fascitelli





“Vornado has been my consuming passion for the past 16 years,” said Fascitelli on a conference call yesterday, praising Roth as a “great partner.”

Obviously suffering a cold, Fascitelli also said, “I am a firm believer of not being afraid to try something new.”

The CEO left McKinsey in 1985 for Goldman Sachs and then joined Roth at Vornado in 1996. “Now is the right time to take a break and try something different,” he added.

Fascitelli, an avid athlete and sportsman, has led an adventurous life out of the office.

In 2006, he hurt his foot while playing basketball and was in a cast when, weeks later, he took a tumble while riding a snowmobile that ventured into a hidden ravine in Utah — breaking a bone in his wrist.

Last summer, Fascitelli suffered a serious shoulder injury and sources said he was almost killed in a horrific auto accident when the hired driver of a car he and his wife were riding in had a heart attack, hit a truck and flipped the vehicle, leaving Fascitelli and his wife Beth, who suffered a concussion, trapped for more than an hour.

He is leaving Vornado as one of its highest-paid executives — having earned $64.4 million in 2011.

Roth said Fascitelli worked “like an animal” and had executed 172 transactions on more than $17 billion worth of properties, all of which were fueled by 125 capital markets transactions totaling over $27 billion, making an “indelible impact on Vornado.”

In addition to its real estate holdings, Vornado has sizable investments in Toys ‘R’ Us and JCPenney — deals that have dogged the company, which yesterday reported a $224.9 million loss on Penney and a $40 million on Toys.

“Mike is one of the smartest and well-respected people in our industry,” said Jared Kushner, a partner with Vornado at 666 Fifth Ave.

“He is a great partner and a great friend,” he added. “And somebody for everyone in our industry to look up to.”

Mitchell Konsker, vice chairman of Jones Lang LaSalle, agreed, saying, “He’s one of the class acts of our industry, and truthfully, has the utmost respect of his peers.”

Possible successors include SL Green’s Marc Holliday and Andrew Mathias, as well as Vornado’s own execs, including David Greenbaum and Mitchell Schear.

CBRE’s local president and dealmaker, Mary Ann Tighe, and Cushman & Wakefield’s former CEO, Bruce Mosler, who now leads its global brokerage, were also mentioned as candidates.










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Would-be convention center developers make pitches to Miami Beach residents




















Developers on Wednesday presented Miami Beach residents with competing ideas for what the city’s Convention Center could look like after an overhaul.

It was the public’s first glimpse of what could become of the 52-acre site. Two heavy-hitting teams are competing for the project, which could cost up to $1 billion.

Both teams – Portman-CMC and South Beach ACE – stressed that the concepts presented Wednesday were only preliminary ideas.





Both teams’ proposals focus on creating lush greenscapes and ways to connect the enormous convention center with abutting neighborhoods – things that residents at a prior public meeting asked of the developers.

To do that, Portman-CMC, the team led by Portman Holdings, proposed several scenarios. In one, a diagonal plaza would grace the corner of the current convention center property, creating a string of parks to connect the center to the existing Miami Beach Botanical Garden and SoundScape Park.

The design focused on creating shade through both the buildings and landscaping, which is basically nonexistent now.

“This place is a black hole in terms of green, in terms of trees. We aim to change that," said Jamie Maslyn Larson, a Partner of West 8, the company partnering with Portman to landscape the project.

West 8 also worked on Miami Beach’s SoundScape Park, which features free outdoor movies and audio and video feeds of performances at the adjoining New World Symphony.

South Beach ACE, the team led by Tishman Hotel and Realty, proposed an underground parking area to hide idling trucks and buses – an issue that residents have complained about. Above the parking lot would be a rolling greenspace, and views of the now-ignored Collins Canal would be incorporated.

World-renowned architect Rem Koolhaas, part of the South Beach ACE team, called the current convention center a "serious problem" in the middle of the "idyllic" Miami Beach. His team’s design aims to correct that.

Tishman’s proposal also preserves the current Jackie Gleason Theater. Residents have debated whether the theater, which is not deemed historic, deserves to be preserved. The Tishman proposal would essentially remove a back wall of the theater to create a two-stage amphitheater.

Portman-CMC has not made a decision about whether the theater itself would stay, but spoke to preserving the legacy of Gleason himself. The team launched a website to get more resident feedback about its proposal: www.portmancmcmiamibeach.com.





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Broward commisioner withdraws pit bull ban proposal




















Pit bull lovers came out in force on Tuesday to oppose a county commissioner’s effort to get the breed banned in Broward County.

After hearing dozens make emotional pleas, County Commissioner Barbara Sharief agreed to withdraw her proposal for a ban and work with experts to help keep neighborhoods safe from all dangerous dogs.

Read the full story at Sun-Sentinel.com.








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Rihanna Obtains Restraining Order From Obsessed Fan

Fearing for her safety, Rihanna has filed for and been granted a restraining order from an obsessed fan.

Pics: 10 of Rihanna's Sexiest & Most Scandalous Shots

The singer obtained a temporary order against Steveland Barrow, 31, on Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. According to paperwork acquired by ET, Barrow broke into a residence adjacent to Rihanna's (believing it was hers) where he "removed various items from the home and slept in a bed."

When arrested, Barrow told officers that the songstress had invited him to her home where he had intended to distribute his poetry.

Video: Rihanna & Kate's Sexy V Shoot In Action

A judge is set to determine whether or not the order, which currently prohibits Barrow from coming within 100 yards of Rihanna, should be made permanent during a March 21 hearing.

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Bond brawl








It’s not quite Bush v. Gore 2.0, but the two legal protagonists of that epic showdown before the Supreme Court will be back at it today.

Lawyers Ted Olsen and David Boies will appear before a Manhattan US appeals court to argue over how $1.44 billion in Argentina debt should be paid.

Olsen represents billionaire hedge fund magnate Paul Singer, who claims he and other bondholder holdouts should be paid alongside those holders who agreed to a steep haircut during a debt restructuring.

Argentina President Cristina Kirchner has long insisted she will never pay “one dollar” to the Singer holdouts.




Boies represents the bondholders who agreed to the restructuring — and they oppose Singer, believing that Argentina will never go along with a pro-holdout ruling, thus putting their bonds at risk of default.

The bonds tanked last fall when the appeals court upheld a lower court ruling that said that Singer’s group must be paid whenever the exchange bondholders were paid.

After those bonds went into free fall in late November, about a dozen investment funds — mostly hedge funds — lined up opposite Elliott and three other hedge funds on its side.

The Bank of New York, the trustee agent for the bondholders, also protested being dragged into the fray.

The hearing is “critical for Argentine bond markets,” JP Morgan analyst Vladimir Werning said last night in a note to clients.

Market players — who are expected to flood the courtroom — “are going to try to read into the judges’ questions whether . . . they sympathize or are hostile to one side or the other,” Werning told The Post.

Longtime Argentina lawyer Jonathan Blackman will represent the South American country.

The appeals court is not expected to issue its final ruling for at least a month, and Argentina is likely to appeal any ruling that goes against it to the Supreme Court.

mcelarier@nypost.com










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Don’t get too personal on LinkedIn




















Have you ever received a request to connect on LinkedIn from someone you didn’t know or couldn’t remember?

A few weeks ago, Josh Turner encountered this situation. The online request to connect came from a businessman on the opposite coast of the United States. It came with a short introduction that ended with “Let’s go Blues!” a reference to Turner’s favorite hockey team in St. Louis that he had mentioned in his profile. “It was a personal connection … that’s building rapport.”

LinkedIn is known for being the professional social network where members expect you to keep buttoned-down behavior and network online like you would at a business event. With more than 200 million registered users, the site facilitates interaction as a way to boost your stature, gain a potential customer or rub elbows with a future boss.





But unlike most other social networking sites, LinkedIn is all about business — and you need to take special care that you act accordingly. As in any workplace, the right amount of personal information sharing could be the foot in the door, say experts. The wrong amount could slam it closed.

“Anyone in business needs a professional online presence,’’ says Vanessa McGovern, the VP of Business Development for the Global Institute for Travel Entrepreneurs and a consultant to business owners on how to use LinkedIn. But they should also heed LinkedIn etiquette or risk sending the wrong messages.

One of the biggest mistakes, McGovern says is getting too personal — or not personal enough.

Sending a request to connect blindly equates to cold calling and likely will lead nowhere. Instead, it should come with a personal note, an explanation of who you are, where you met, or how the connection can benefit both parties, McGovern explains.

Your profile should get a little personal, too, she says. “Talk about yourself in the first person and add a personal flair — your goals, your passion … make yourself seem human.”

Beyond that, keep your LinkedIn posts, invitations, comments and photos professional, McGovern says.

If you had a hard day at the office or your child just won an award, you may want to share it with your personal network elsewhere — but not on LinkedIn.

“This is not Facebook. Only share what you would share at a professional networking event,” she says.

Another etiquette pitfall on LinkedIn is the hit and run — making a connection and not following up.

At least once a week, Ari Rollnick, a principal in kabookaboo, an integrated marketing agency in Coral Gables, gets a request to connect with someone on LinkedIn that he has never met or heard of before. The person will have no connections in common and share no information about why they want to build a rapport.

“I won’t accept. That’s a lost opportunity for them,” Rollnick says.

He approaches it differently. When Rollnick graduated from Emory with an MBA in 2001, he had a good idea that his classmates would excel in the business world. Now, Rollnick wanted to find out just where they went and reestablish a connection.

With a few clicks, he tracked down dozens of them on LinkedIn, requested a connection, and was back on their radar. Then came the follow-up — letting them know through emails, phone calls and posts that he was creating a two-way street for business exchange. “Rather than make that connection and disappearing , I let them know I wanted to open the door to conversation.”





Read More..