Gifford Miller: Slush-Fund Refugee

This happy coincidence of giving and getting caught the attention of the city's Campaign Finance Board, which examined Witkoff's 2005 contributions as part of a study on how to regulate donations from those doing business with city government.

The board pointed out that, after the Witkoff contributions, the council in September 2005 approved a zoning change to let Witkoff build a 26-story tower and a 100-space parking garage on York Avenue.

Richard B. Levine

Miller, in the days when he spoke publicly

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More About

• Gifford Miller
• Steven Witkoff
• James Ortenzio
• Government and Politics
• Politics

A couple of weeks later, the council gave another green light to Witkoff, this one to let him build a 200-foot-tall tower at the corner of Charles Street and West 10th Street, in the heart of Greenwich Village. In doing so, the council approved a special "carve-out" for Witkoff's site that exempted it from a new rezoning plan won by Village residents trying to limit new high-rises in the neighborhood.

There wasn't any evidence that Witkoff had pushed for the carve-out, the board noted in its report. It was just another of those muddy mysteries that permeate the intersection of politics and property.

Miller, now sitting on the real-estate side of that divide, declined to discuss his relationship to the generous developer. After days of ducking phone calls from the Voice, he gave a response via e-mail to The New York Sun, which has also reported on his profound silence on the council's troubles. "The issue has received extensive coverage in the media and I have nothing to add," Miller wrote. When I complained—this time via e-mail—that he was being discriminatory in his no-comments, Miller promptly responded: "Fair enough," he wrote back. "This issue has received extensive coverage in the media and I have nothing to add."

Pressing my luck a little, I asked about his dealings with Witkoff and the title-insurance firm. The response took a little longer, but back it came, complete with plugs for two of his current ventures: "I am chairman of the Liberty Art Title Agency. Liberty Art Title offers cutting-edge title insurance to the art world to eliminate the risk of title and provenance for art collectors. Miller Strategies provides strategic consulting to a number of private-sector firms. Miller Strategies does not engage in lobbying activities. Beyond that, I have no further comment."

At least the guy's still got a sense of humor. For those seeking his services, e-mail address: Giffordmiller@yahoo.com.