Stu Loeser
Press Secretary
In office
January 11, 2006 – August 20, 2012
MayorMichael Bloomberg
Preceded byEdward Skyler
Succeeded byMarc LaVorgna
Personal details
Born1973 (age 50–51)
Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania

Stu Loeser is a Democratic communications strategist. He served as the Press Secretary to the former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg and was the longest-tenured Press Secretary in the history of New York City.[1][2]

Early life and education

Loeser was born in October 1973 on Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, D.C.,[3] where he lived until he was four. [2] Loeser's father was in the Air Force and the family moved around before settling in Commack, Long Island, when Loeser was nine.[3]

Loeser's parents met at a Jewish summer hotel in the Catskills, where his father worked as a handyman and his mother a camp counselor.[3]

His Jewish grandparents had fled Germany before World War II. His mother’s father moved to Washington Heights and worked in pencil factory.[3]

After high school, Loeser attended the University of Pennsylvania.[3]

Political career

Loeser began his career as Director of Media Research for Vice President Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign,[4] after which he served as research director for Mark Green in his campaign for Mayor of New York City (2001) and Carl McCall in his campaign for Governor of New York (2002). He also served as Communications Director for U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY).[5]

Prior to his appointment as Press Secretary, Loeser served as a spokesman on Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 2005 re-election campaign and as deputy press secretary.[6] In order to comply with his strict Jewish law, Loeser consulted several rabbis before accepting the job moved to the Lower East Side to be close enough to walk home from work on Friday nights.[1]

Loeser was credited with a reputation as New York City's "foremost practitioner of the dark art known as opposition research" by the New York Observer.[3]

Private sector consulting

Following his departure from City Hall, Loeser founded his own media strategy agency Stu Loeser & Co., and has consulted for Eric Schneiderman,[7] Michael Bloomberg, Michael Daffey,[8] Tina Brown, and Cyrus Vance Jr.[9] Loeser was on the consulting team for Uber that helped defeat New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's effort to cap the number of for-hire vehicles.[10] He is also a trustee of the Citizens Budget Commission, a nonpartisan civic organization.[11]

Personal life

Loeser is married to Jessica Loeser, a real estate attorney in New York City specializing in land use, zoning, and landmarks preservation.[12] The couple have four children, three girls and a boy. At the birth of his son in 2012, Mr. Bloomberg was given the honorary task of handing the baby to the mohel.[1]

Jessica Loeser was formerly a top aide to New York State Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver. In 2010, Jessica Loeser ran unopposed for female Democratic district leader for the Lower East Side, replacing incumbent Ruth Bekritsky who was retiring.[13]

Loeser is Jewish and observes the Sabbath,[14] which requires him to cease work from sundown on Friday to sunset on Saturday.[2] During his time working as press secretary for Bloomberg, other staff members were instructed to only contact Loeser during the Sabbath in cases of “potential but direct threat to life,” which included the former Deutsche Bank Building fire and during Hurricane Irene.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Grynbaum, Michael M. (July 30, 2012). "With Adviser's Departure, Bloomberg Will Lose a Fierce Protector". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Rebecca Mead (September 3, 2012). "Right-Hand Man". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Horowitz, Jason (October 10, 2005). "Loeser For Hire: Bloomberg Hitman Has Freddy Cold". New York Observer. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  4. ↑ Bailey, Eric (November 5, 2000). "'War Rooms' Are Center of Stormy Season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  5. ↑ Gaskell, Stephanie (January 12, 2006). "Bloomberg Appoints New Mouthpiece". New York Post. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  6. ↑ Hope, Bradley (July 2, 2007). "Mayor's Independence Is Focus of Aides". The New York Sun. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  7. ↑ Benjamin, Liz. "AG Office Takes a Breath". Spectrum News. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Who is Michael Daffey's wife? Couple are planning a "complete makeover" of Epstein's mansion". The Focus. March 17, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  9. ↑ Karni, Annie (January 8, 2014). "Out Of Office, Mike Bloomberg Turns To An Old Hand To Field Questions From The Press". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  10. ↑ Dana Rubinstein (August 15, 2015). "Now on Uber's behalf, Bloomberg veterans continue taxi fight". Politico. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Trustees". Citizens Budget Commission. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Jessica Loeser – Goldstein Hall". Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  13. ↑ amNY (July 6, 2011). "Scoopy's Notebook | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  14. ↑ W., Y. (July 31, 2012). "Bloomberg's Shomer Shabbos Press Secretary Steps Down". The Yeshiva World. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
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