The Real Estate Moguls, Tech Investors, And - Business Insider

Grace Wyler|September 17, 2011|

Business Insider got a look at the invitation for 2012 hopeful Rick Perry's first New York fundraisers and found out who the Texas Republican tapped to host the three swanky events next week.

Although Perry is a formidable fundraiser, his deep-pocket donors mostly hail from the South and the West. We were curious to find out what kind of inroads he has made with political movers and shakers in the Northeast, where he faces fierce competition from his main 2012 rival Mitt Romney.

The biggest name on the invitation is Maurice "Hank" Greenberg, the former head of AIG, who will host a $2,500-a-head reception on Wednesday.

On Monday, potential donors can attend a reception at 15 Central Park West, the fancy new Columbus Circle development from Zeckendorf Realty. The invite only gives the address but we assume it will be at the luxurious condo owned by Arthur Zeckendorf, who is listed as a host.

A little Google-reporting informed us that Perry is largely sticking with his social conservative, Christian base, even in New York. The list of hosts Monday includes some big pickups from the Bush donor network, as well as businessmen and investors who are active in conservative think-tanks and religious groups.

Here's who'll be there:

• Myers Mermel: The awesomely-named CEO of Tenantwise.com, an online commercial real estate brokerage company, is a relative newcomer to political fundraising. He briefly campaigned for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in New York last year, after a few months of campaigning for lieutenant governor, after making his first foray into New York politics as state chair for Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential campaign. He's also a trustee of Christ Church United Methodist.
• Sean Fieler: Co-founder and managing member of the hedge fund Equinox Partners. Fieler is a vocal critic of the Federal Reserve and supports a return to the gold standard, so it's interesting that he is supporting Perry over libertarian favorite Ron Paul. He is also the president of the Chiaroscuro Foundation, an anti-abortion group, and a board member for two conservative family values think-tanks ? Princeton's Witherspoon Institute, which supposedly has ties to Opus Dei, and the Institute for American Values, which was influential in forming "family values" platforms for both the Clinton and Bush 41 administrations.
• Charles Glazer: A major Bush donor who served as U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador during Bush 41's second term. He is the founder of the Greenwich-based investment banking firm C.L. Glazer & Company. He was also Sergeant-at-Arms at Bush 41's second inauguration.
• Cheryl Halpern: Halpern, a New Jersey real estate developer, is another big pickup from the Bush donor network. A former chairwoman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, Halpern is known for her hawkish stance on Israel. As chair of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from 2005-2007, she accused NPR of anti-Israel bias of its coverage on the Middle East.
• Christoper Healy: Former chair of the Connecticut Republican party and major powerbroker in Connecticut politics.?
• Grant Lally: Managing partner of Lally & Misir, a Long Island-based law firm. He represented George W. Bush in the 2000 Florida Recount.?
• Mica Mosbacher: This is kind of cheating. Mosbacher is actually from Houston, where she has been one of the most prolific donors to Perry's gubernatorial campaigns. She is the widow of Texas oilman Robert Mosbacher, a former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and HUGE bundler for the Bush family.?
• Gordon Pennington: A major New York marketing and media consultant, Pennington is active with Focus on the Family's Truth Project, an evangelical DVD and lecture series that teaches the primacy of the Bible.?
• Dave Bednar: Managing director with Ladder Capital and former head of JPMorgan Real Estate. Also a former Marine.

The second event, a $1,000-per-head luncheon at the Harvard Club Tuesday, features a more eclectic mix of host that includes Silicon Valley investors, Tea Party bankers, and powerful conservative activists from the Orthodox Jewish community.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/2012-election-rick-perry-campaign-fundraising-wall-street-new-york-donors-2011-9

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