About Michael D. D. White and Hop-Skip Enterprises and Management of Noticing New York and National Notice

The inspiration for Hop-Skip Enterprises comes from Jane Jacobs. In her 1961 book “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” Jane Jacobs wrote about people, capable in a cross-fertilization fashion, of carrying useful ideas, ways of doing things and making links between and across a broad range of disparate communities.

Michael D. D. White of Hop-Skip Enterprises manages Noticing New York and National Notice, independent entities commenting on policy and public choices.

Noticing New York (formally launched in 2008) covers New York development and associated politics, particularly and mainly development in New York City but also development in New York State when its importance is significant and statewide. Noticing New York is dedicated to the proposition that developing New York and appreciating New York go must go hand in hand. Unfortunately it often doesn't.

Covering city planning, design, development and city-shaping decisions together with related economics and issues of political accountability and conduct NNY, with an appreciation of free market vitality and the wisdom of communities, is skeptical about government intervention and subsidies.

It is the goal of Noticing New York to report on both the positive and the negative happening with respect to development in the city but always to give priority to what, in big picture terms is really important and most in need of immediate public attention. Unfortunately, that often means spending a lot of time talking about what public officials should not be doing.

National Notice covers similar issues of policy and economics when those issues are best addressed mainly or exclusively in terms of the national dialogue. Notwithstanding, it is perhaps not surprising how often and deeply the underlying themes covered by Noticing New York and National Notice overlap.

Hop-Skip Enterprises, which has not been active prior to the date of this post, exists as an avenue to bring in income, including through consultation, writing and review of narratives, assistance in supervising attorneys, merchandising and other possibilities.

Noticing New York and National Notice are not formal "not-for-profit entities." The main reason for that is that neither are intended to be compromised with respect to speaking politically or about political candidacies. That does not mean however that either Noticing New York and National Notice are endeavors focused on trying to make money. To the contrary to there is an effort that this not be a focus of these entities. That is out of a concern for the conflicts of interest that can result from mixed motivations. Still, hoping that readers will find the work valuable, the blogspot pages of Noticing New York, National Notice and Hop-Skip Enterprises were all equipped with tip-jars as of the week of October 3, 2011. With luck this will help sustain the work being done and allow more to be generated.

Right now Noticing New York and National Notice cannot offer paid positions but for those who are interested is is possible to be invited to join as an intern.

Michael D. D. White is an attorney (admitted in NYS since 1979) and urban planner who graduated from Brooklyn Law School and Hunter Urban planning school. He is a former senior state public development and finance official. After working for a couple of years in the private sector doing real estate, trusts and estates some litigation and corporate law, Mr. White started doing public finance of subsidized housing development with the city's Housing Development Corporation. Continuing to work for government Mr. White continued in the field of public finance for 27 years working most of that time for New York State's public finance authorities financing housing, hospital and health facilities and other state and city programs.

The first half of the time Mr. White spent working for the public finance agencies was devoted mostly to work on closing real estate development loans, designing associated programs and writing appropriate legislation for that purpose. Thereafter, Mr. White managed and oversaw the legal department for the state finance authorities supervising similar activities and participating in the establishment of policy with respect thereto (also supervising such things as litigation and labor matters) as the number 2 person in charge of that department or alternatively, on a number of occasions, regularly taking on the functions of counsel for the agencies during various interregnums. Resume is available upon request.