One political worry among supporters of Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC is that somehow it’ll fall victim to the so-so karma of Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, who’s the big-idea man behind it. Both the West Side stadium and the 2012 Olympics bid were his pets; some resentments linger. “He’s a bully,” says one insider who’s dealt with him. “He’s imperious,” says another. A former state development official says, “When Doctoroff calls, everybody in the office would be like, ‘Aw, fuck.’” Last week, Doctoroff was impatient with the idea that he’s too impatient. He concedes that he works with a sense of “urgency” and an overall frustration with government (he says he won’t work in public service again). But with the green plan on the line, he’s reached out early to get support from old foes. He learned. “Lesson one,” he says, “respect the state and the State Legislature. [With the stadium] we made the presumption we could go it alone, and that was a mistake.” What else? “I guess you could say that I’ve developed a sense of patience,” he says. Then he laughs and shakes his head. “Nah, I don’t think that’s really true. Fundamentally, I believe people don’t change.”

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• Archive: “Intelligencer”
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