Constance Milstein
March 5, 2001 Born to one of New York City's most prominent real estate families, Constance Milstein did her part to contribute to the electoral excitement last year. A few days before voters went to the polls in November, Milstein traveled to Milwaukee, where she told a local news station that she had come as a representative of the Gore campaign to round up votes. She was later caught on tape handing out packs of cigarettes to homeless men who had just voted by absentee ballot. Under Wisconsin law, it is a felony to give anything valued at more than $1 in exchange for a vote. Republicans called for a bribery investigation, and Democrats distanced themselves from Milstein. In a statement, Milstein described herself as "a private, concerned citizen" who wanted "to enable those less fortunate to participate in our political process." Milstein participated in the political process by giving nearly a million dollars to Democrats; some observers speculated that she was seeking a diplomatic post, perhaps as ambassador to the United Nations. Milstein has worked with fellow fundraiser Michael W. Sonnenfeldt (No. 266, $204,500) through a non-profit organization called the Humpty Dumpty Institute to remove land mines from battle-scared regions. She also sits on the board of Refugees International, which works to provide safe asylum for refugees, and Emigrant Savings Bank, which is controlled by her family. She is the daughter of Seymour Milstein, who created with his brother, Paul, a real estate empire valued at $5 billion. Last year, the Association of Real Estate Women ranked her among the top 100 real estate executives in the nation. "Let me just say one thing," Milstein told reporters who confronted her outside her apartment in the wake of the cigarette scandal. "I am an ordinary Park Avenue matron." -- Michael Scherer | | |
