Gilmartin in The Real Deal: personal tidbits and endurance of "the friction and the tension in a public setting"

Maryanne Gilmartin, Forest City Ratner's point person on Atlantic Yards, mostly sounds authoritative, confident, and charismatic in a Q&A yesterday with The Real Deal.

Among the tidbits: she has a driver to bring her from her Westchester estate to Brooklyn--so much for transit-oriented developers--and she says she sleeps just five hours a night, which is edging toward Brett Yormark territory.

The AY opposition

Here's the most interesting segment:

What has been challenging for you personally about the opposition to Atlantic Yards?

It's a complicated project with lots of dimensions. And that's just hard work and I love that. I can't say I love the friction and the tension in a public setting. But it comes with the territory. I knew that and I accept that.

Well, the friction and tension in a public setting is often caused by FCR's allies, which is why I had Gilmartin last in July 2009 send an imaginary open letter apologizing for such conduct.

That event referenced, in fact, was Gilmartin's only public appearance before a (partly) unfriendly audience. Take a look at my coverage of the public informational meeting, which includes video of Gilmartin not quite answering a simple question about the affordable housing planned for Atlantic Yards.