NAMES IN THE NEWS : ‘Queen of Mean’ Plots Amends

High above Manhattan in her gleaming penthouse with its millionaire’s view of Central Park, Leona Helmsley plots a campaign to prove to a hostile world that she is not a “bitch.”

The “Hotel Queen” New Yorkers hated during her bitter tax evasion trial last summer says her biggest mistake was not speaking out when the press labeled her the “Queen of Mean” and her own attorney called her a “tough bitch.” She was sentenced to four years in jail and fined $7.1 million.

“Do I look like someone who is going to go to jail? I am going to be free of (prison) stripes and strife and spend the rest of my life with my beloved husband, Harry,” she said.

Helmsley said the public outpouring of hatred toward her has abated. Strangers now rush to her side, kiss her, introduce her to members of their family, wish her luck in her appeal, send her thousands of letters of support and say they understand that she is as human as they are.

“I see myself as a good businesswoman, not a bitch. The bitch thing, you would have to ask my (original) lawyer about that. He never consulted me about that. I don’t agree with that. I have never asked anyone to do something that I haven’t done or wouldn’t have done,” she said.