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In a move that some directors of city cultural institutions called unfair, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has quietly forgiven nearly $600,000 in rent the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum owed the city.
The museum, which operated with a deficit until recently, also will be relieved of future rent obligations, which had been $252,000 annually for use of the pier on the Hudson River in Manhattan.
City officials said the mayor approved the Intrepid's request for financial help after the museum board stopped a flood of red ink on its ledgers. They described the Intrepid as a tourist destination that the mayor supports because it fosters respect for the American military.
Even so, the mayor's aid to the decommissioned aircraft carrier prompted questions of fairness. The museum's main benefactor and chairman is developer Zachary Fisher, a major Giuliani supporter.
Fisher, with his family members and associates, contributed $70,000 to Giuliani's last...