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David S. Mack

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David S. Mack
Born
David Makofsky

(1942-01-25) January 25, 1942 (age 82)
Brooklyn, New York, US
OccupationReal estate developer
Known forFounding board member of Mack-Cali Realty Corporation
SpouseSondra Mack
Parent(s)Ruth Kaufman
H. Bert Mack
FamilyWilliam L. Mack (brother)
Earle I. Mack (brother)
Fredric H. Mack (brother)

David S. Mack (born January 25, 1942) is an American businessperson who operated The Mack Company, a New Jersey-based real estate firm founded by his father H. Bert Mack.[1]

Mack has been a major donor to Republican candidates, including Governor George Pataki.[2] Pataki appointed Mack to the Board of Commissioners for the Port Authority. Mack has also been on the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority over the period 1993–2009 and since 2019.

Early life and education[edit]

Mack was born to a Jewish family, the son of Ruth (nee Kaufman) and H. Bert Mack.[3][4] His father founded the real estate development company, the Mack Company.[3][4] He has three brothers: Earle I. Mack, Fredric H. Mack, and William L. Mack.[3][4] Mack graduated from Hofstra University in 1967 with a B.A. degree in Business Administration.[5][6]

Career[edit]

Mack is senior partner of The Mack Company, a real estate development firm. The Mack Company merged with Cali Realty Corporation in 1997 – Mack is a director of Mack-Cali Realty Corporation.[7]

Public service[edit]

Mack is a member of the boards of Boys Town Jerusalem, Hofstra University, Israel Bonds, Joseph L. Morse Geriatric Center, New York Holocaust Memorial Committee, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System Foundation, Palm Beach Community Chest and United Way, Pratt Institute, United Jewish Appeal (UJA) of Greater New York and Long Island,[7] and serves as the president of the Nassau County Police Department Foundation.[8]

He appointed to the Board of Commissioner at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey by New York Governor George Pataki,[9][10] until he was forced to resign in 2009.[11]

He has been an honorary deputy superintendent of the New York State Police since 1995 despite having no law enforcement experience.[9][12] He frequently appeared at State Police formal functions in full dress uniform,[9] which reportedly angered State Police rank-and-file troopers.[13]

Mack has a longstanding relationship with the Nassau County Police Department where he has served as an unsalaried assistant commissioner since at least the mid-1980s.[2] The department issued Mack a police badge.[2]

Metropolitan Transportation Authority[edit]

Mack was a Vice Chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from December, 1993 until September, 2009.[11] He is the Chair of the Long Island Rail Road/Long Island Bus, Bridges and Tunnels Committee, and a member of the Capital Program Oversight, Finance, Interagency Coordination, Audit, Governance, Diversity, Safety and Security, Capital Construction/Planning and Real Estate, New York City Transit, Metro-North Committees. According to Mack, he used the Long Island Rail Road between five to ten times a year.[14] His term ran through June 30, 2009.[7]

In May 2008, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that the MTA policy of giving free lifetime passes to current and former board members violated New York State law. The MTA board initially resisted changing this policy.[15]

Mack was reappointed to the MTA board in 2019 as the representative for Nassau County.[16][17] In 2022, the MTA took away placards from MTA board members which had allowed them to park anywhere in the city legally.[16] This led Mack to throw a tantrum.[16] After losing his placard, Mack began voting against MTA plans for congestion pricing in New York City, which had been in the works since 2019.[16]

Personal life[edit]

Mack has donated to scholarships and capital programs at his alma-mater, Hofstra University. The David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex, the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center and Mack Hall are named in his honor.[6]

Mack and his wife Sondra also make charitable donations through the David and Sondra Mack Foundation and are members of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ BusinessWeek: "David S. Mack" retrieved November 22, 2014
  2. ^ a b c "As One Controversy Is Settled, an M.T.A. Official Faces Another". New York Times. 2008.
  3. ^ a b c Orlando Sun Sentinel: "H. Bert Mack, Businessman, Philanthropist" Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine May 11, 1992
  4. ^ a b c Legacy: "RUTH MACK Obituary" April 10, 2011
  5. ^ Board of Directors Biographies, Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, archived from the original on 2008-06-10, retrieved 2008-06-20
  6. ^ a b Capital Campaign: Shaping the Future, Hofstra University, archived from the original on 2008-03-19, retrieved 2008-06-20
  7. ^ a b c David S. Mack, Vice Chairman, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, archived from the original on 2008-06-22, retrieved 2008-06-20
  8. ^ , NCPD Foundation http://www.ncpdfoundation.org/board.htm/, retrieved 2012-02-25 {{citation}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ a b c Cooper, Michael (2004-10-27). "Police Commissioner Trump? Honorary Titles Draw Fire". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  10. ^ Jr, James C. McKinley (2003-12-23). "Developer Lent Private Jet For Pataki Island Vacation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  11. ^ a b Confessore, Nicholas (11 September 2009). "Official Named in State Police Investigation Resigns". City Room. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  12. ^ Confessore, Nicholas (2009-09-09). "Port Authority Nominee Out in Wake of Cuomo Inquiry". City Room.
  13. ^ Confessore, Nicholas (2009-09-08). "Cuomo Report Finds Political Interference Among State Police". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  14. ^ Haberman, Clyde (2008-06-20). "Leadership Skills That Are Hard to Appreciate". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  15. ^ Donohue, Pete (7 September 2008). "MTA bigs still have 20% of recalled MetroCards and E-Z Passes". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  16. ^ a b c d Guse, Clayton (2022-07-27). "MTA board member votes against Manhattan congestion pricing in revenge for losing parking placard, sources say". New York Daily News.
  17. ^ Guse, Clayton (2019-03-01). "MTA board criticized by one of its members for lack of diversity". New York Daily News.
  18. ^ Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County 2011 Honor Roll Archived 2012-09-13 at the Wayback Machine retrieved November 23, 2014