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Election Forecast: 2009
As the CEO of the Red Apple Group, John Catsimatidis is the well-known proprietor of the city’s 43 Gristedes supermarkets. His campaign donations to Bill and Hillary Clinton have helped earn him a place in the Clintons’ inner circle and a pair of presidential seal cufflinks which he wears nearly every day.
And he has made headlines himself, for everything from his role in the Greek Orthodox Church to his well-documented love of Mallomars.
Now, after years of involvement and donations, Catsimatidis is in the early stages of plotting a 2009 bid for mayor as a Republican. Sitting in an office with walls covered in photos of him meeting with politicians ranging from Fidel Castro to Robert Morgenthau, Catsimatidis spoke to City Hall about why he feels the moment is right for him in 2009, his proposed signature project for the city, how much he plans to spend and which prospective GOP challengers he might have to face.
City Hall: What makes you think you should be mayor?
John Catsimatidis: I love New York, number one. Number two, I’ve lived here all my life… I’ve never seen this city come as far in terms of obtaining greatness—because it’s the greatest city in the world—as it has in the last 10, 15 years. … There’s so much that we can do and envision that I think is so important. You need a visionary. You need someone that is going to carry forward. I think Bloomberg did a great job, and we can do even better.
CH: Are you ready to leave behind your high-paying job to join the city payroll?
JC: You know what I want my salary to be? The same as Bloomberg’s: $1 a year. I want to hire the most qualified people to run the city and hopefully, a lot of Bloomberg’s qualified people will stay on, but we got to do it.
CH: You say New York needs a visionary. What would be your signature visionary project?
JC: The Olympics are great, but we didn’t get it, and the Olympics to me is a great thing, but it’s a two, three week thing at the most. It’s like a flash cube. … You know what I want? We had the 1939, 1964 World’s Fair. I want to put somebody in charge. I want to create a World’s Fair. It’s time. We haven’t had one in 50 years. Maybe by 2012, 2014, have New York hosting it.
CH: Why a World’s Fair?
JC: You know what the tourism impact is? You got to remember the ‘63 ‘64 World’s Fair. It was two years, for four months. So it’s not a flash cube event. It’s a four-month event for two years, and it attracted a zillion people.
CH: Other than a World’s Fair, what is on your agenda?
JC: Education is important. Housing is important. Safe streets. I think Ray Kelly is doing a great job. I think we can’t just depend on the federal government to protect us against terrorism. We have to worry about number one—follow up on Ray Kelly’s system, on having our own intelligence network to protect New York.
CH: You’ve thought about running for mayor before. Are you serious about running in 2009?
JC: I’ve talked about it before. The one nuance that nobody picked up on is: I said if Bloomberg doesn’t run, I’m going to run. Nobody picked up on that. … No. I wasn’t going to run against him spending $80 million. The city has a good guy running it so why am I going to run against Bloomberg? But in 2009, it’s an open field, so it’s now or never.
CH: Your plan is to self-finance. Will you be raising money as well?
JC: I want to spend my own money. I think it’s a sin that the peripheral system in the city where people, politicians, are taking taxpayer money to run. I’m going to spend my own money and we haven’t set a limit yet. We may take contributions, but at a very low level.
CH: Would you run as a Democrat or a Republican?
JC: I was a Republican in the 1980s. I was the chairman of the Lincoln Day Dinner twice. Then, I helped build the chapel at Camp David under George Bush Sr. So, I was a Republican. I like Ronald Regan. He’s a real cowboy. George Bush was a very decent guy. But I met Bill Clinton, and I fell in love with Bill Clinton.
CH: But if you run for mayor, it will be to follow Bloomberg’s lead and switch to be a Republican?
JC: That seems like the most likelihood. The unfortunate thing about it is a moderate cannot win a Democratic primary in New York. The cards are stacked against him.
CH: Your name often comes up as part of Hillary Clinton’s inner circle. Do you feel like you’re in the inner circle?
JC: I’m close to the inner circle, to whatever the inner circle is. I mean, I’m friends with Hillary and I’m friends with Bill Clinton. … They’re smart people and they should be in office because they do smart things, and I believe in that.
CH: Have you already declared your support for her in 2008?
JC: I’m supporting Hillary, yes. But Rudy Giuliani, being a great New Yorker, I’d support, if Hillary’s not the nominee.
CH: Have other candidates who are looking to run come to you looking for money?
JC: There’s always somebody coming looking for money.
CH: Do you think money plays too big of a part in contemporary politics?
JC: The problem with our political system is that candidates are always looking for more money. … Term limits have their sex appeal, but everybody is always looking for the next job. The problem with the City Council is that everybody is looking for their next job, and they’re always raising money, and they’re always looking for where their next bread and butter is going to come from. I think we should have more business people, attract more business people into politics. … Tell me about what you can do for the system, not what you can take or get from the system.
CH: Will you give to the other candidates running for president in 2008, or are you going to make sure you’re only with Clinton?
JC: I’ll support them for vice president maybe.
CH: Have you talked with the Clintons about your interest in running for mayor?
JC: I’ve mentioned it to them. I’m not telling them they have to do one thing or another. Let their conscience be their guide.
CH: Have they encouraged you to get into the race?
JC: They said I should do it if it helps New york.
CH: Have you talked to Michael Bloomberg about it?
JC: He knows I want to run.
CH: Are you concerned about being attacked politically over the course of the campaign?
JC: I’ve already had a couple of politicians from the Democratic Party already almost threatening me that they’re going to try to dig up dirt on me.
CH: Like who?
JC: I’m not going to say. All I said is, look, I’m the nicest guy in the world. … I’m not going to dig up dirt on anybody. But if somebody hits me, I’ll hit twice as hard. But, hey, what are you going to come up with? That I didn’t pay my sign bill for $24 10 years ago? I’m married, I don’t have any girlfriends, I don’t do drugs, I don’t drink. God only knows what they want to come up with. That’s why you can’t get more businessmen interested. Let’s talk about the issues and how to make New york better. And, hopefully, the press will be more responsible.
CH: How much of your own money are you ready to spend on the race?
JC: I mentally budget $30 million, which I stated would be 90 percent of the budget. But when you get pregnant, goes the old expression in business, you spend more.
CH: Where does the fortune come from?
JC: Gristedes only represents about 6 percent of our total interests. Twenty-two years ago we bought into an oil company that was in bankruptcy and we saved the company and we saved 3000 jobs in western Pennsylvania. We saved the company; I saved the company. I had a vision. I pulled the company out of bankruptcy using very little capital. It is now one of the most successful companies in Pennsylvania.
CH: Have you started talking to campaign professionals about putting together a campaign?
JC: We’re talking to a few who want to put together a team of advisors, of how we do this. It’s a big knowledge curve of how you do this and a businessman learns. You hire the right people to do things right and you use common sense.
CH: Do you ever think about running for something other than mayor?
JC: I’m a CEO. I’ve been a CEO for 37 years. I’m not running for something that I can’t make a difference. I want to be able to make a difference and a positive difference.
CH: Have you talked with Republican leaders about the possibility of running?
JC: I’ve talked to a lot of Republican leaders.
CH: Did they seem eager to help you?
JC: Yes, a lot of them say come back and that they will help.
CH: Are there any potential Republican opponents you’re worried about?
JC: Whoever has the money and is willing to spend it and deliver the message to New york.
CH: In a nutshell, what would be your platform?
JC: I’m on the taxpayer’s side. I’m going to make sure the taxpayer doesn’t get screwed.
CH: Any suggestions for a Catsimatidis 2009 slogan?
JC: We want to lower taxes. We don’t want to chase away the middle class. We don’t want to chase away the rich in New York. We don’t want to make it impossible for someone who’s not wealthy, to say, ‘I can’t live here anymore’ and move to Connecticut or Westchester, or move to Miami. And we want working people to have affordable housing and good transportation.
CH: Did you do any special ‘Catsimatidis 2009’ promotions in the Gristedes stores?
JC: [laughs] Free Mallomars.