CITYWIDE

CONSUMER AFFAIRS COMMISSIONER TAKES WTC MEMORIAL POST

Gretchen Dykstra is stepping down as commissioner of the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs to take over as president of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, the group responsible for raising money for the Ground Zero memorial.

Foundation chairman, John Whitehead, announced Ms. Dykstra’s appointment yesterday after a meeting of the board at the headquarters of American Express. The foundation also announced the appointment of four additional board members: Robert Kasdin, Thomas Bernstein, Emily Kernan Rafferty, and Jonathan Tisch.

Of her new job, Ms. Dykstra, 56, who served as president of the Times Square Business Improvement District from 1992 to 1998, said, “This is rather intimidating. I am both honored and humbled.” Ms. Dykstra, whose salary has not been determined, will be in charge of day-to-day operations of the foundation.

Mr. Whitehead was vague about how much money the foundation has raised from donors in its “quiet” fundraising stage. He said the foundation has secured “several very large gifts,” of around $10 million to $25 million each, but would not provide exact figures or the names of donors. The foundation has set a goal of raising $500 million for cultural buildings including the memorial.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

THE BRONX

RIDERS DECRY BAD SERVICE ON CITY-OWNED BUS LINE

Service has sharply deteriorated on the express bus line formerly operated by Liberty Lines Express since the city acquired the private company in January, riders in the Bronx said yesterday. The bus line – now part of the Metropolitan Transit Authority Bus Company – shuttles riders from the Bronx, as well as Westchester and Yonkers, to Manhattan. Riders have complained about changes implemented since the takeover, including a $1 fare hike that raised one-way tickets to $5 on February 27.

The MTA sent a letter to elected officials February 18 to educate riders about upcoming changes, saying that it was implementing standards used by the MTA’s other express buses – including no longer accepting dollar bills and not allowing seniors and those with qualifying disabilities to use discount cards during rush hour.

A spokesman for a member of the Assembly, Jeffrey Dinowitz of the Bronx, said his office has received a flood of complaints from riders who say the buses are dirtier and run less frequently since the MTA takeover.

– Special to the Sun

NEW JERSEY

CASINO REGULATORS SUBPOENA KERIK

TRENTON, N.J. – A lawyer for Bernard Kerik, the former New York City Police commissioner, has moved to quash a subpoena issued by New Jersey gaming officials, calling it “ridiculously overboard.”

The state Division of Gaming Enforcement wants numerous documents as part of its latest probe into two Clifton, N.J., firms – Interstate Industrial and its sister company, Interstate Drywall – which its investigators have accused of having mob ties, the Star-Ledger of Newark reported yesterday.

The subpoena, issued last month, asks Mr. Kerik to produce documents pertaining to 13 issues, ranging from communication between him and Frank and Peter DiTommaso – the brothers who own the two firms – to records about renovations made to an apartment Mr. Kerik owns in the Bronx.

It also seeks more information about Interstate’s employment of Mr. Kerik’s brother, Donald; evidence of any money the DiTommaso brothers may have paid Mr. Kerik; and evidence of money Mr. Kerik may have paid to Larry Ray, whom Mr. Kerik recommended the DiTommasos hire to deal with their regulatory problems, according to the report.

Mr. Kerik’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, said the motion to quash the subpoena had nothing to do with whether his client wanted to testify.

“Give me a subpoena that’s appropriate and narrow and focuses on the issue they’re supposedly investigating and Bernie will gladly testify,” Mr. Tacopina said.

Tom Auriemma, the gaming division’s director, would not comment on the subpoena or the investigation into the companies.

– Associated Press