Manhattan society queen who runs Central Park sparks petty war of words over ICE RINK

A glamorous society maven who runs New Yorks Central Park has kicked off a quarrel with a millionaire CEO over the future ownership of the i...

A glamorous society maven who runs New Yorks Central Park has kicked off a quarrel with a millionaire CEO over the future ownership of the iconic site's ice rink.

Elizabeth 'Betsy' Smith, 73, CEO of the Central Park Conservancy, sparked the war of words with a scathing op-ed on Tuesday that targeted one of her organizations own board members, Jeff Blau, 57. 

In the New York Daily News opinion piece, Smith argued Central Park's Wollman Rink should be managed by a nonprofit group instead of the private developer Mayor Eric Adams has selected, Wollman Park Partners (WPP) II LLC. 

WPP is a joint venture between pickleball brand City Pickle and real estate developer Related Companies - which is led by Blau. 

In what seemed like a petty shot at Blau, Smith proudly shared her jarring article, accusing the licensee of turning a profit on the city deal, with the entire board. 

'I wanted to share, attached, an op-ed I wrote for today’s New York Daily News where we share our vision for a renovation of Wollman Rink and the surrounding area and our disappointment with the current path the City has chosen,' she wrote in the email, obtained by the New York Post. 

Blau, who has donated tens of thousands of dollars to the Conservancy, did not take kindly to Smith's shot at his company. 

'Making unfounded and inflammatory accusations about a member of your own Board - and then bragging about it here - is truly something to behold,' Blau, who has been on the board since 2012, wrote in response. 

Smith, who has been CEO since 2018, reportedly clapped back: 'We felt strongly that we needed to take our case directly to the public, and we stand by our decision.' 

'City Hall can still hit the brakes on this deal and leave it to the next mayor to compare all offers in the full light of day,' Smith, the nonprofit leader who earned a hefty $933,592 in 2023, asserted in the op-ed. 

'Doing so could ensure Wollman Rink remains what it was always meant to be: a public good, not a private cash register.'

Wollman Rink's management contract is up for renewal for a 20-year term. Smith said that Mayor Eric Adams is 'unfortunately' set to seal the deal with Blau's company this week. 

Last year, the Conservancy placed a $120million bid for the contract, which would go toward 'reimagining the entire southeast corner' of the park. But the city shot it down. 

Related and City Pickle's joint venture offered the promised only $10.9million to improving the park, which she described as a measly fraction of what she offered. 

She also claimed Related will fork over between $3.4million and $5.9milllion each year to the city from concession revenue, 'while it takes millions more out of the park in profits.' 

Despite throwing a dig at Adams, she was seen rubbing elbows with the mayor as recently as 2022 at the Conservancy's lavish annual gala. 

While the op-ed accused Blau's company of turning a profit on the deal, Related pointed out that the original licensing agreement, reviewed by the Daily Mail, indicates that the 'licensee will not profit from the operation of the license premises.'

The rink has been operated by Related since 2021, when the Trump Organization was kicked off the contract.  

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Conservancy and the mayor's office for comment.  

Smith, who comes from a prominent Massachusetts family, graduated from the prestigious all-women's Scripps College and had a thriving career in finance before pivoting to public service. 

Her father, Sidney James Weingberg Jr., was a limited partner at New York bank company Goldman Sach & Company. 

Her paternal grandfather served as the company's chairman for nearly 40 years, according to The New York Times. 

Smith's maternal grandfather, Amory Houghton, was the chairman of Corning Glass Works and the Ambassador to France from 1957 to 1961. 

Her first marriage was to Richard Berlin Jr., a Dartmouth University graduate who was a founding partner in Felton & Berlin Insurance Services. 

Berlin also came from a cushy background, as his father was the CEO of the Hearst corporation. 

It is unclear when Smith and Berlin divorced, but in 2011, The New York Times reported she and Richard Cotton, a Harvard graduate and former NBCUniversal executive.

Cotton now serves as the Executive Director of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. 

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