Kevin Rampe to head LMDC.

After three months of temping and proving himself well worthy of the seat, Kevin M. Rampe officially took the helm as president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation last week.

On Feb. 28, Rampe was named interim president after Louis R. Tomson resigned as president. Rampe has overseen the day-to-day operations of the LMDC from the agency's inception as executive vice president and general counsel.

The announcement came in a special LMDC board meeting June 17 with the board unanimously approving of Rampe's appointment by Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"We are absolutely convinced Kevin is the right guy for the job and the LMDC," said Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff, who attended the meeting. "We are thrilled about the appointment and are looking forward to excellerating our progress as we move forward."

"I would just like to thank the board, the governor's and the mayor's office for all their support," Rampe said. "It's great to have the opportunity to continue to work with a group of people who have been so dedicated to the rebuilding efforts. I look forward to doing a lot of wonderful things for Lower Manhattan. I am overjoyed with the opportunity and I promise not to let you down."

With several news articles focusing on the opposing views between Daniel Libeskind, whose World Trade Center design was selected by the LMDC in February; and World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein, Rampe was asked to comment on Libeskind's future role.

"Daniel has set forth an inspirational vision for all New Yorkers," he said. "Daniel will continue to play a key role as we move forward.... His role is going to continue and change as we go forward, but he will always be part of the project."

Rampe declined to comment Silverstein's role in the project

Although, most of the board members were not in physical attendance at the meeting; those who were telephoned conferenced into the meeting voted unanimously to approve Rampe's appointment

"He is highly respected by staff and board, and his longstanding relationships with all of LMDC's partners will help drive this process forward," said John Whitehead, chairman of LMDC, in a prepared press statement "We are confident Kevin will provide the LMDC with strong leadership as we move into the next critical phase of the rebuilding effort."

Prior to joining the LMDC, Rampe served as first deputy superintendent and chief operating officer of the New York State Insurance Department, managing the leading insurance regulatory agency in the country with a staff of approximately 1,500 people. Rampe also served as Gov. Patald's senior legal adviser on insurance, banking, civil justice, worker's compensation and labor matters. Prior to joining the Pataki administration in 1996, Rampe was a litigator at the New York law firm, Sherman and Sterling, where he worked on domestic and international securities, antitrust and contract litigation and arbitration.

Also announced last week, were the appointment of three new LMI)C board members to fill vacancies on the board.

Pataki appointed Christy Ferer, the wife of Neil D. Levin, who was the executive director of the Port Authority and died in the Sept 11 attacks. Ferer has served as a member of the Families Advisory Council of LMDC and as liaison to families of Sept 11 victims for Mayor Bloomberg.

Bloomberg appointed Edward Lewis, publisher of Essence Magazine, and Stanely Shuman, a managing director of Allen & Company, an investment banking firm.