CityHallNews.com

Jordan Barowitz has worked for many politicians over the years, including Peter Vallone and Al Gore. For the last five years he has been a deputy press secretary to Mayor Michael Bloomberg at City Hall and on his reelection campaign, a position that has landed his name in the papers regularly and even earned him a spot co-hosting a public access cooking mini-series.

But after eight years at City Hall, he is moving on, taking a position at the Durst Organization, one of the city’s top real estate development firms.

“It’s time to do something new,” he said.

A lifelong New Yorker, Barowitz grew up in the Village and attended city public schools until switching to Friends Seminary for high school. He was an undergraduate at Vassar College, and afterwards did some graduate work at New York University.

In 1998, Barowitz started with the City Council, working closely with then-Speaker Vallone and consequently doing communication work for both Vallone’s 1998 gubernatorial and 2001 mayoral campaigns. He also worked for the New York branch of Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign.

Though a longtime Democrat, Barowitz said that after Sept. 11 he had no qualms about signing up to work for Bloomberg’s administration and 2005 reelection campaign.

“After 9/11, I very strongly felt that I wanted to contribute something, to help the city get back on its feet,” said Barowitz, explaining that he joined because he was “very impressed by the team Mayor Bloomberg was putting together.”

“It’s time to do something new.”

Throughout the past five years, Barowitz has been the administration’s point man on a number of highly visible issues. But while he may be the voice commenting, the views he speaks of are always those of the administration. Even when talking about the recent contentious Homeland Security budget cuts to New York, on which he has been quoted widely, he would not express his own opinions.

“I am and always will be a passionate advocate for New York City,” Barowitz demurred.

Looking back at his time with the mayor, Barowitz points to his helping Bloomberg manage the city’s budget crisis as a career highpoint. He also emphasized his commitment to transportation policy, particularly converting the city’s private bus lines, as well as the administration’s solid waste management plan. As Bloomberg settled into his second term, Barowitz decided the time was right to do something else. His new job will be director of external affairs for the Durst Organization, a real estate development company with a strong focus on environmentally concerned “green” building. The company bills its latest project, the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park, as the world’s most environmentally responsible high-rise office building.

Barowitz himself does not have much experience in the real estate business, but said he is looking forward to learning the ropes.

Green living is an old interest for Barowitz, a born Manhattanite who now lives in Brooklyn Heights and uses gardening as a way to relax after work. He is also an avid cook, interested in many different styles of cooking, especially Thai.

His wide-ranging tastes were part of what led to him co-hosting “What’s Cooking at Gracie?” a New York City Television program with Julie Laipply and Gracie Mansion chef Feliberto Estévez. Over six episodes, the trio purchased ingredients from all over the city for dishes that were then prepared at Gracie Mansion.

Barowitz’s fiancée, Elisa Zuritsky, also has television experience: she is a screenwriter who has worked on “Sex and the City” and ABC’s upcoming “Six Degrees.”

A man of varied interests, he said he may eventually return to government work, but promised that if he does, it will be as a staffer.

On this he was absolutely insistent, adding, “I will never run for elected office.”