Location: When you took over Helmsley-Spear earlier this fall, you told the New York Post, ‘Frankly, one thing I hope to bring is a new energy, focus and discipline to allow the company to expand.’ What do you mean by a new focus and discipline? And what about expansion?

Mr. Swig: I think that the company has had an excellent tradition for years and years and years. It started in 1866, and had risen to one of the largest probably better-known real estate companies in the country, operating all over—I think they had 45 offices across the United States. And, over time, there were partnership issues and other things going on. What I was reacting to was the company had risen to a very great level and was no longer operating at that level.

So, I wanted to be able to bring in new energy to the company itself; a focus of growth and opportunity; and a new discipline, meaning what we are doing or what we are, in fact, doing right now is bringing a new level of infrastructure to the company—so, new computers, new software, very advanced accounting systems and property-management systems for third-party businesses, and a new marketing and advertising program; and human resources.

Is the goal to compete with the likes of CB Richard Ellis and Cushman & Wakefield?

Today, absolutely not. CBRE and Cushman & Wakefield are worldwide companies. Right now, Helmsley-Spear operates in New York City; and I think what we’d like to do is to reorganize and reenergize the firm and bring all the sophistication we can to the firm. … Once that’s set, which will take 60 to 90 days at the longest, then we start to grow the firm.

First, we grow in New York City. And New York City right now is certainly the largest city in terms of office space in the United States. If you add it up: downtown San Francisco, downtown L.A., downtown Philadelphia, downtown Boston, downtown Washington, D.C., and downtown Chicago—the six largest cities [together in terms of office space] outside of Manhattan, you don’t equal Manhattan. So, I think there’s a huge opportunity here in its home base first.

And then normally we’d look at concentric circles of growth. You’d start in New York City; you’d go to Boston, Washington, etc., going from a regional point of view, which would make more sense. The one exception would be San Francisco, because I’m from there, I have properties there, my family has property there, and Helmsley-Spear, believe it or not, was a very big entity out there at one point.

With the Helmsley-Spear acquisition, you’ve now dipped into virtually every aspect of New York City real estate—office and residential landlord; office and residential developer; sales brokering, as co-owner of the company that owns Brown Harris Stevens and Halstead Property; and now management with Helmsley-Spear. Do you feel overextended?

If it were I alone, it would be disastrous. We’ve got a phenomenal staff all-around.

Is this sort of the path for real estate in New York, this consolidation?

I think operating companies in general over the last 15 years have consolidated. I would say that real estate operating companies were probably one of the least-consolidated industries in the United States. If you look at the soft drink market or you look at paper production or look at glass manufacturers or you look at overnight mail distributors—there are a select four, five companies that basically control the market share throughout their particular industries.

If you look at the real estate industry, especially the residential sales industry, nobody really had a 1 percent consolidation control of the marketplace 15 years ago. And the trend today has been shifting into consolidation, actually, and, frankly, naturally—because, in order to compete today in advertising dollars, telecommunications and computer technology, payroll, etc., etc., the cost of doing business is very, very great.

The Sheffield rental-to-condo conversion at 322 West 57th Street was quite a slog—lawsuits by market-rate tenants, the asbestos in the ceiling, a work-halt order and a marching band during a demonstration. First of all, is it true that you hired a 20-piece marching band to drown out demonstrators?

Let me go through it in order. There was no asbestos in the ceiling ever. There was a claim. We had done over 2,124 individual tests for asbestos in the building and we were one of five groups: Our bankers did that when we first bought the building and repeatedly after; the Department of Labor from New York State did testing; [the city] Department of Environmental Protection [DEP] did testing; OSHA [the Occupational Safety and Health Administration] on the state level did testing; as did we. Five different groups did all these tests.

And every single one, 100 percent, came back negative—except three tests, four tests that the tenants’ association supposedly did. Where they got the pieces [for testing], we don’t know. But they came in and said, ‘These are from the building,’ and they did a split test supposedly, where some of the material went to DEP. … And out of these 2,124 tests, four of them came back with potentially trace amounts.

Now, the DEP has come back and said they made a mistake; and they have withdrawn the test results.

When did that happen?

That happened about a month ago. And, also, we had filed a Freedom of Information Act with the Department of Labor, and all their tests came back negative. So, this, in my opinion—well, it’s not my opinion, it’s fact—it’s not true. There was no asbestos in there.

What about the marching band? [Editor’s note: On April 29, a small group of elected officials and tenants demonstrated against the Sheffield conversion outside of the building. A marching band drowned out part of the demonstration, according press reports.]

The marching band was there at our invitation. And the invitation was we were going to be doing a big feast or something for kids and it was coinciding with the time that some of the elected officials decided that they would have a demonstration about asbestos. So, I did not cancel it because I was very irritated at the fact that the elected officials incorrectly—and, in my opinion, knowingly incorrectly—were out there demonstrating that we had asbestos in the building.

What I’m shocked, appalled, horrified at is the fact that elected officials representing the public good could knowingly and falsely take information and put it into the public arena for a press conference when they knew very well that it was not accurate.

Do you ever discuss the business with your father-in-law, Harry Macklowe? And, if so, what do you talk about?

I worked with him for seven and a half years. So, it was one of the greatest educations that anybody could ever get. In my opinion, I think Harry is one of the most creative, intelligent real estate people ever. And I say ‘real estate people’ because it goes far beyond development; it goes to leasing, planning—very few are as good in all areas as he is.

Yeah, I throw out ideas to him all the time. I’m doing a job downtown [the mixed-use developments of 25 Broad Street and 45 Broad Street] that I threw by him that he thought was almost impossible to get done—which, I said, ‘If you could say that, then I’m very concerned!’

Michael Gross’ book, 740 Park, said you were nearly rejected by the co-op’s board there. Is that true?

Inaccurate. Wholly. And the person who stated it is not doing business with me anymore.

[The rejected person] was the person who purchased, or put under contract, the unit that I now live in. We heard about it and, in two hours from the rejection, came in. Now, is there a benefit to owning Brown Harris Stevens and to having a Brown Harris Stevens broker represent the seller and the buyer and happen to be the managing agent [for the building]? Yes. We heard about the rejection probably before it hit the market. I happened to be in the market at the time, so I was able to make an offer and the seller accepted.

You’ve given money this election cycle to both Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani as well as to John Edwards. Do you have a favorite yet?

I gave money to Hillary Clinton because I’m a big supporter of Hillary. Rudy Giuliani, I gave money simply because, very honestly, a partner of mine requested and insisted that I give money to Rudy Giuliani. But I’m a Democrat through and through, and I think that’s probably the first Republican who I’ve ever given money to.

And, John Edwards, I like and admire and am very friendly with John. I’m not supporting anybody outright and pushing, although I think that John Edwards would make a fine president.