By Jon Schuppe
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
HARLEM — Former President Bill Clinton has decided to keep his offices in Harlem, and neighborhood residents say they're happy to have him.
"There's a lot of great things they could say about Harlem, but always a big topic is, 'Where's Bill Clinton's offce at?' said Lindsey Williams, 44, a cookbook author who was standing outside Sylvia's restaurant Monday afternoon.
"That's always kinda cool. He was the president of the United States at one time. That's hot."
Clinton recently signed a lease that will keep his offices at 55 W. 125th Street, near Lenox Avenue, for another 10 years, the Wall Street Journal reported. He did it at a savings for taxpayers, who foot the bill for ex-presidents' office spaces. The new lease will cost Clinton about $400,000 for the next five years, about $100,000 less than the current rent, the Journal reported.
A 50-year-old Harlem man who gave only his first name, Antoine, said he thought it was great that Clinton was staying.
"It's good for the hood. No problem with that."
Since Clinton first moved to Harlem, the commercial corridor has enjoyed a real-estate renaissance, and many people say he was an important catalyst.
"I think that's the whole reason this area has changed," 48-year-old mechanic Thomas Green said.
