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PrintDon't mess with Liz Lessner
You don’t mess with Liz Lessner. The grassroots civic leader and entrepreneur behind such downtown and Short North establishments as Surly Girl, Betty’s, Tip Top and Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace is adding another impressive item to her resume: citizen cop (of sorts). She has been participating in the FBI Citizen’s Academy since April, and she’s expected to graduate in mid June. The classes are held downtown at local FBI headquarters and designed to show civic leaders what training is like for law-enforcement officers, including a session on weapons. Lessner and her class will travel to Quantico, Virginia, this month to tour the FBI Academy. Insider asked Lessner how classes were going in late April, and she said, “It’s been absolutely amazing. I love it. It’s so fun and really informative.”
Another note from Lessner: She says Josh Radnor, the Bexley native who’s known for his portrayal of Ted Mosby on CBS’s hit show, “How I Met Your Mother,” stopped in at Dirty Frank’s in late April and ordered the Veggie Pittsburgh Princess—a hot dog topped with coleslaw, vinegar and fresh cut fries—and stayed for about an hour.
Many recall that Spice Bar was sold by Park Street developers Chris Corso, Mike Gallicchio and Brian Swanson to Tom Starker and Pam Theodotou (formerly of BoMA) in October 2008. The sale culminated in Spice Gastro Lounge, which debuted after a large-scale remodel . . . only to close promptly last summer. After being boarded up for nearly a year, the space now houses another nightlife offering from Corso and his crew, Park Street Cantina, which debuted in May (see “After Dark” on page 121). But that’s not the end of the story. Corso is suing Starker—a former employee at the defunct Mecca nightclub—and Theodotou to the tune of $1.6 million. The suit alleges that the pair failed to pay (or were late in paying) taxes on the restaurant and rent to Corso, and that a $60,000 startup loan Corso gave Starker and Theodotou wasn’t repaid. “It’s a landlord-tenant issue,” Corso says. “Your typical landlord stuff. . . . It’s not a personal lawsuit between me and Tom.” Starker and Theodotou filed a counterclaim, in which they allege they were unable to pay “each and every expense charged” due to “wrongful and unlawful actions” by Corso. Rick Robol, Starker and Theodotou’s attorney, writes in an e-mail to Insider that his clients “are grateful for the support they have received from the Columbus Community and look forward to their day in court.”
Donna James, a former Nationwide top executive who sits on the boards of Coca-Cola, Limited Brands and Time Warner, as well as being the founder and chair of the Columbus-based Center for Healthy Families for teen parents, wasn’t the first choice to be the commencement speaker in May at her alma mater, North Carolina A&T. But she shouldn’t feel bad. The initial invitation went to President Barack Obama.
