Saving senior center: The news is sounding much better on the threatened senior day center at Our Lady of Pompeii Church, at Bleecker and Carmine Sts. State Senator Brad Hoylman tells us, “The archdiocese has stepped in and is facilitating negotiations between Greenwich House and Our Lady of Pompeii to renew the lease. Conversations involve segmenting the space and trying to agree on a price. If negotiations stay on track, this should conclude by the new year. It’s looking good.” Roy Leavitt, executive director of Greenwich House, which operates the senior day program, said, “Both sides have a commitment to make this work. The conversations are good.” He said the idea is to divide the space so that the seniors have their own area and the film crews or whoever else the church is renting out the space to have theirs. The dividers “may be temporary, may be permanent,” he said. As for the cost, they’re trying to figure out how much Greenwich House would have to pay for its portion of the basement’s electricity and air conditioning. “I’m very optimistic the senior center will be there,” Leavitt said. However, he added, “If we run into any bumps in the road, we won’t go quietly.”
SantaCon melting? Switching from the senior center to SantaCon, how did the inebriated St. Nicks and their elf sidekicks do this year? To hear Hoylman tell it, the rollicking (and retching) event and its revelers may finally be getting the message. “I think it was a smaller event,” Hoylman told us. “I believe SantaCon has finally ‘jumped the shark,’ or ‘jumped the reindeer,’ or whatever the appropriate expression is for an event that has run its course. SantaCon isn’t cool or fun and I think people are getting that message. I suggest they hold the event in Jersey City next year. At least it would save commuting time for SantaCon’s participants.” As Santa said to Rudolph: Whoa!
New C.O.R.EY C.O.S.: Councilmember Corey Johnson’s new chief of staff is Erik Bottcher, who fills the position left open when Jeffrey LeFrancois recently moved on. Bottcher was most recently a local liaison for Governor Andrew Cuomo and before that did two stints with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. “Eric is very well liked,” said Allen Roskoff, president of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club. “He’s a magnet.” Paul Newell, Lower East Side Democratic district leader, said, “I think Erik Bottcher is a get for Corey. He worked for Christine Quinn, so he knows the district well.” In an article two years ago, the Wall Street Journal also described Bottcher as having “acquired influence after hours with New York’s glitterati, a set that sees him as an informal political emissary [for the governor].”
A “consuming” political passion? It’s no secret that Julie Menin — the former longtime chairperson of Community Board 1 and current commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs — has long wanted to hold political office. She made some feints at running for City Council in the past — though ultimately never did, not wanting to challenge the incumbent, first Alan Gerson and then Margaret Chin. Of course she ran for Manhattan borough president last year — but no one was going to beat Gale Brewer — and Mayor Bill de Blasio then tapped Menin to be D.C.A. chief, which sounds like a pretty solid gig for four to eight years. Raising some eyebrows, though, Menin has packed her agency with a number of former elected officials’ staffers. Among them are Mary Cooley, formerly district director for state Senator Daniel Squadron; Connie Ress, who worked for both Christine Quinn and Mayor Mike Bloomberg; and Amit Bagga, who was a top campaign adviser on Anthony Weiner’s failed mayoral bid. Then again, maybe some people are just reading too much into it. And as for what office Menin might want to run, it’s anyone’s guess.
More than an invite: We skewered Roskoff last week over his campy holiday party invite, but he called us to let us know that the e-card, and the party it’s pitching, are no joke. “I got RSVPs from some of the most powerful people in New York State — even some of the people who were on the flier,” he told us. “I got e-mails from some people saying, ‘Thanks for putting me on the invite — I finally made it!’ ” In fact, Eric Bottcher has been among them. “He’s been on my Christmas invitation — and he loves it,” Roskoff said.
Tallmer memorial: A memorial for Jerry Tallmer will be held Mon., Feb. 23, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Theater for the New City, at 155 First Ave., at E. 10th St. By invitation only, it will start with a reception at 5:30, according to Frances Monica Tallmer, his widow. “Crystal Field donated it,” she said of the T.N.C. executive director’s generous offer of the space. Tallmer, who died last month at 93, was a founding editor of the Village Voice, then a theater and arts critic at the New York Post and, in his last two decades, a prolific contributor to The Villager and its sister papers.
Correction: An earlier version of the above “Tallmer memorial” item incorrectly stated that it would be a public memorial. As the item now correctly notes, it will be by invitation only.
