But Mr. Trump insisted that the project was not viable without a tax break from the city.
In pressing for government approval, Mr. Trump proved to be the quintessential insider, at least through his father: The elder Mr. Trump was a major contributor to and friend of Mayor Abraham D. Beame and Gov. Hugh L. Carey, both Democrats.
“Fred was a big macher in Brooklyn,” said Martin J. McLaughlin, a lobbyist who worked for Donald Trump in the 1990s. “He had an extremely close relationship with Beame and Carey.”
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Mr. Trump visited a young city official, Michael Bailkin, who devised a plan centered on a 40-year tax abatement, still the longest ever granted by the city...
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In the end, after phone calls from Mr. Beame and other Democratic politicians, Mr. Ravitch and the agency’s board voted to approve the project...