Thursday night run-around

In typical Thursday night fashion, I jetted around to a few events to get a sense of what's going on. I started at the Opera Gallery where the American Jewish World Service held a spring benefit on May 3rd. I chatted with Seth Price, Frankfurt Garbus Kurnit Klein & Selz attorney Amy Vernick and Paul Weiss attorney Lynn Bayard. Saturn Network's Samantha Saturn was enjoying the art while talking with friends and before leaving I met NYU law teacher Michael Heller and Debbie Siegel, who volunteers with Web Grrls. Sherry Reisner told me about another volunteer effort she works with--MAKOR.org--and their reading group for homeless youth.

Meanwhile swanky Serena's was the spot for NYS Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's fundraiser. The talented, intelligent (and beautiful) writer Cindi Cook and I caught up on life and work in the Alley. Spitzer 2002 deputy finance director Lisa Esler introduced me to the man of the hour and during his speech Spitzer brought up some of his platform points. He's a "people's lawyer" and doesn't believe politicians should vote just to be popular. " We have to get involved in our community and get our generation involved in politics. Politicians don't lead the way in trends. It's the people in the public who do." After his brief speech I met Eric Gioio who is running for City Council in the 26th District in Queens. The "six degrees of separation" concept came up as Cindi and Eliot were chatting and we learned his college roommate was Bill Taylor, founding editor of Fast Company. Small world indeed!