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Who

Along with Roland Betts, Tom Bernstein is the president and co-founder of Chelsea Piers, a lifelong Democrat, and a longtime Bush supporter.

Backstory

Bernstein has followed a very similar path to that of his business partner, Roland Betts. A fellow Yalie—he graduated six years after Bush and Betts—Bernstein attended law school and clerked for Judge Jack Weinstein before taking a job alongside Betts at law firm Paul, Weiss. In 1983, the duo founded Silver Screen Management to finance films (the future president served on the board of the company); they later joined Bush as part of the group of investors that purchased the Texas Rangers in 1988. In 1992, Bernstein and Betts wound down Silver Screen to pursue a plan to redevelop Chelsea Piers. Once one of the city's most important gateways, the 28-acre site had fallen into disrepair over the course of the 1970s and 1980s and become a trash-strewn blight on Manhattan's West Side. They submitted a bid to take over the piers as part of a public auction, and have since created New York City's largest sports complex with ice skating, bowling, and golf, among other activities.

Campaign trail

Although he's a registered Democrat, Bernstein (like Betts) has long been a major Bush supporter and campaign "pioneer," having raised more than $100,000 during Bush's presidential runs. Bernstein's political ties have generated controversy on both sides of the aisle. His support for certain liberal causes—he's worked with Human Rights First since it started—has raised the ire of some conservatives. (Republican pit bull Michelle Malkin called Bernstein "head of one of the leading Bush-bashing, guilt-mongering human rights organizations in the nation.") Not surprisingly, his status as a Bush confidante and fundraiser hasn't earned him many liberal friends either.

Board game

Bernstein attends his share of hotel ballroom dinners. In addition to serving as president of the board of Human Rights First, he's served on the board of WNYC, the Fresh Air Fund, and NYC & Company.

Personal

Bernstein's wife, Andi—an executive at Oxygen Media—served on the host committee for the 2004 Republican National Convention. They have three kids—Sam, Lee, and Will—and live in Bedford.