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A high-profile socialite managing New York’s Central Park has sparked a dispute with a wealthy business executive regarding the future control of the famous ice rink.

Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Smith, 73, the CEO of the Central Park Conservancy, ignited a verbal conflict with a harsh opinion piece on Tuesday, which criticized one of her organization’s own board members, Jeff Blau, 57.

In an opinion article published in the New York Daily News, Smith suggested that the Wollman Rink in Central Park should be operated by a nonprofit organization rather than a private developer under the mayor’s control.Eric Adamshas chosen, Wollman Park Partners (WPP) II LLC.

WPP is a collaboration between the pickleball company City Pickle and the real estate firm Related Companies, headed by Blau.

It appeared to be a minor attack on Blau, as Smith confidently presented her disruptive article, alleging that the licensee was making money from the city deal, to the whole board.

“I wanted to share, attached, an op-ed I wrote for today’s New York Daily News, in which we present our vision for the renovation of Wollman Rink and the surrounding area, as well as our disappointment with the current direction the City has taken,” she wrote in an email, obtained by theNew York Post. 

Blau, who has contributed tens of thousands of dollars to the Conservancy, was not pleased with Smith’s criticism of his company.

“Making baseless and provocative claims about a fellow board member—and then boasting about it here—is truly remarkable,” Blau, who has served on the board since 2012, wrote in reply.

Smith, who has served as CEO since 2018, reportedly responded: ‘We believed it was essential to present our argument directly to the public, and we maintain our choice.’

‘City Hall still has the power to halt this deal and let the next mayor evaluate all proposals under full transparency,’ Smith, the nonprofit executive who received a significant $933,592 in 2023, stated in the opinion piece.

Such an action could guarantee that Wollman Rink continues to be as it was always intended: a public benefit, rather than a private money-making venture.

The management agreement for Wollman Rink is up for renewal over a 20-year period. Smith mentioned that Mayor Eric Adams is ‘unfortunately’ poised to finalize the deal with Blau’s company this week.

Last year, the Conservancy submitted a $120 million offer for the contract, aimed at ‘reimagining the entire southeast corner’ of the park. However, the city rejected it.

A collaboration between Related and City Pickle provided the promised $10.9 million for park improvements,which she characterized as a tiny portion of what she provided.

She also stated that Related will pay the city between $3.4 million and $5.9 million annually from concession income, “while it removes millions more from the park in profits.”

Even though she made a subtle jab at Adams, she was observed socializing with the mayor as late as 2022 at the Conservancy’s extravagant annual event.

Although the op-ed claimed that Blau’s company made a profit from the deal, Related noted that the initial licensing agreement, examined by the Daily Mail, states that the ‘licensee will not benefit from the operation of the licensed premises.’

The ice rink has been managed by Related since 2021, following the Trump Organization’s removal from the agreement.

The Daily Mail has contacted the Conservancy and the mayor’s office for their response.

Smith, hailing from a well-known Massachusetts family, earned her degree from the esteemed all-female Scripps College and enjoyed a successful career in finance prior to transitioning into public service.

Her father, Sidney James Weingberg Jr., served as a limited partner at the New York-based financial institution Goldman Sachs & Company.

Her father’s father held the position of company chairman for almost four decades, as reported.The New York Times. 

Smith’s mother’s father, Amory Houghton, served as the head of Corning Glass Works and was the United States Ambassador to France between 1957 and 1961.

Her initial marriage was to Richard Berlin Jr., a graduate of Dartmouth University who served as a co-founder in Felton & Berlin Insurance Services.

Berlin also hailed from a comfortable background, as his father served as the CEO of the Hearst corporation.

It is uncertain when Smith and Berlin separated, but in 2011,The New York Timesshe mentioned Richard Cotton, a Harvard graduate and former NBCUniversal executive.

Cotton currently holds the position of Executive Director at The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

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