Protest erupts outside Hochul's office during meeting with billionaire Ken Griffin
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Governor Kathy Hochul met with billionaire hedge fund founder Ken Griffin on Thursday.
The conversation comes as state and city leaders search for ways to strengthen the economy and close New York City's growing budget gap.
The meeting came after Griffin publicly pushed back against Mayor Zohran Mamdani mentioning him in a video promoting a proposed "pied à terre" tax on second homes valued at more than $5 million.
Late Thursday, protesters who supported Mayor Mamdani's push to tax the wealthy rallied at the Governor's office on the east side.
Mamdani cited Griffin and his Manhattan residence by name while urging support for the tax, a move Griffin characterized as a personal attack.
"I think the willingness of the mayor of New York to make this a policy debate a personal attack just demonstrated a profound lack of judgement a profound lack of judgement," Griffin said.
Griffin is planning to build a 1,600-foot-tall office tower at 350 Park Avenue. But now that deal is in question.
The city's comptroller issued a report saying the tax would raise between $340 million and $510 million, significant revenue that could help the city address its $5 billion budget gap.
Griffin is the founder and CEO of Citadel, one of the world's largest hedge funds and market trading firms.
Discussions with Hochul are expected to focus on the state's economic outlook, including the proposed tax on luxury second homes, which city leaders argue could help generate new revenue.
The mayor would also like a tax on those earning more than $1 million a year.
Which is something protesters want as well.
Mamdani met with Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan. Earlier this week, he met with Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya.
Governor Hochul said earlier this week that her meeting with Griffin was scheduled months before the mayor's video gained traction and emphasized that she regularly meets with business leaders to discuss economic issues affecting the state.
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