The 78-year-old Rubenstein had an even-better time of it this year than last, moving up six notches to the No. 21 slot.
Rubenstein is sandwiched between Chris Ward (No. 20) and Steven Spinola on the list -- not too shabby company. Ward is executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, developer of One World Trade Center which promises to be NYC's iconic building. Spinola is head of the Real Estate Board of New York and political kingmaker. The chairman of Rubenstein Associaties is profiled as "the city's PR master" who has been called the "dean of damage control" by former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a guy who certainly knows about crises, ranging from 9/11 to marital strife to a failed presidential run.
The NYO says when something goes wrong, reporters and clients give Howard a call. Rubenstein has been in business since 1954. Clients include real estate players like SL Green, Tishman Speyer, and Vornando Trust, plus the New York Yankees and Rupert Murdoch.
Other notables on the list are Mikhail Prokhorov, the Russian billionaire who just received National Basketball Association approval to purchase soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets.
Prokhorov, No. 43, is co-owner of the BarclaysCenter that will be the future home of the now Jersey franchise. New York Times writer Charles Bagli checks in at No. 61 for breaking big stories, such as the end of the boom to the travails of Stuy Town and Atlantic Yards. Sadly, NYC archbishop Tim Dolan moves up three spots to No. 76. The guy has a lot of churches and schools to sell, a "thankless task" in the"capital of secularism," the NYO notes. The archdiocese spans Manhattan, Staten Island, Bronx and upstate New York.
Stephen Ross, chairman of the Related Cos., is the most powerful person in NYC real estate. Veronica Hackett is caboose of the list. Her Clarett Group is building Brooklyn's biggest tower, a 51-story residential building that earns boasting rights by a mere two feet. A studio apartment goes for $1,550 a month.
