Fresh off of starting an exploratory committee to get the pulse on a NYC mayoral run, Red Apple Group and Gristedes Foods chairman John Catsimatidis last week visited B’nai B’rith’s real estate unit lunch. We snapped the Clinton Democrat-turned-Republican, who said, “You can’t beat up companies to create jobs and beat up banks to hope they’ll extend money.” He was particularly concerned that New York is No. 50 in the US for economic development. Offer incentives to build and spend money here, he says. “Don’t scare them away with taxes.” What’s critical: getting more people in the right positions, he says, and more biz people in politics…more.