David S. Steiner, a former president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for twenty years, died on October 23. He was 94.
A real estate developer from West Orange, Steiner was a major Democratic donor and bundler who was close to Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. He gave over $3 million to Democrats running for federal office.
Steiner Equities group developed a number of major real estate projects, including Steiner Studios on a 20-acre piece of land at the old Brooklyn Navy Yard that became the largest film and television production studio outside of Hollywood. He was a founder of the National Association of Office and Industrial Parks.
Steiner was a prominent philanthropist, making major donations to his alma mater, Carnegie Mellon University, and to Jewish causes.
He was named to the Port Authority board in 2003 by Gov. James E. McGreevey and renominated by Gov. Chris Christie in 2011, becoming one of the most consequential commissioners in the agency’s history.
Christie initially wanted to replace Steiner, but agreed to keep him as a part of a deal to get his pick for Port Authority chairman, David Samson, confirmed by the Democratic-controlled State Senate.
Steiner was a member of the Electoral College in 1992, casting one of New Jersey’s fifteen votes for Bill Clinton and Al Gore.
But shortly after the 1992 election, Steiner resigned as AIPAC president after another developer secretly recorded him bragging about his influence over Clinton and other national political leaders and his ability to affect U.S. foreign policy.
In 2002, Steiner backed his daughter, Jane Steiner Hoffman, a former New York City Consumer Affairs Commissioner, for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor of New York. She later dropped out of the race.
He was a Korean War veteran.
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