SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Top New York state and city officials converged at this week’s Somos conference for the same blend of politicking and policy discussions on Latino priorities — but they differ on how they paid for their trips. Most used campaign or personal funds — with the notable exceptions of Mayor Bill […]
Running Bill
Posted inBill de Blasio
De Blasio Blames His Failure to Pay 2017 Legal Bill on the 2020 Pandemic
Mayor Bill de Blasio is now blaming the pandemic for his failure to pay a major lobbyist law firm a six-figure legal bill that dates back to 2017. The mayor offered vague restitution promises on Thursday, saying he “intends” to pay the $435,000 he owes to the firm of Kramer Levin & Naftalis “over time.” […]
Posted inBill de Blasio
Mayor de Blasio’s $1 Million Bill: He Owes Lawyers, Lobbyists and Taxpayers
Additional reporting by Josefa Velasquez As he hints at running for governor, lame duck mayor Bill de Blasio has racked up nearly $1 million in debts to lawyers, campaign consultants and taxpayers that records indicate he currently can’t pay. The mayor owes one of the city’s biggest lobbyist law firms upwards of $435,000. On Thursday, […]
Posted inBill de Blasio
De Blasio Refuses to Pay $320K Running Bill for Presidential Campaign NYPD Security
The mayor secretly asked whether taxpayers could pick up the tab for his police detail as he traversed the country — and was told no. He’s refusing to pony up, and has little campaign cash on hand as he flirts with a run for governor.
Posted inPeople
FEC Raises New Questions Over De Blasio Campaign Spending
Additional reporting by Yoav Gonen Mayor Bill de Blasio used a political action committee to pay for presidential polling ahead of his short-lived White House run — potentially running afoul of contribution limits, according to the Federal Election Commission. In a letter to the mayor’s Fairness PAC dated Sunday, a federal election official noted the […]
Posted inConflicts of Interest
State Fines Developers for Their ‘Gifts’ to Mayor de Blasio
Sign up for “THE CITY Scoop,” our daily newsletter where we send you stories like this first thing in the morning. On the same day would-be President Bill de Blasio unveiled a campaign finance reform plan he hopes to take national, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s own fundraising tactics shadowed him at home. A state watchdog […]
Posted inRunning Bill
City OKed Hotel Plan After Developer Hosted de Blasio Fundraiser
Shortly after hosting a fundraiser for one of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s political action committees in March, a developer got the city’s go-ahead to begin work on a new 20-story hotel, records show. In October 2017, Flushing-based Epos Development filed plans with the Department of Buildings to construct a hotel at 347 Lexington Ave., sandwiched […]
Posted inRunning Bill
Complaint Hits de Blasio on Campaign Finance ‘Shell Game’
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s presidential campaign broke federal campaign finance rules by failing to report tens of thousands of dollars in donations and expenses to the Federal Election Commission, a complaint filed Wednesday charges. De Blasio’s presidential campaign and his two political action committees essentially accepted contributions beyond the $2,800 federal individual limit — and […]
Posted inRunning Bill
Hotel Owners Seeking City Hall Help Threw a $90K de Blasio Fundraiser
Mayor Bill de Blasio netted $90,000 from a fundraiser thrown by the owners of the Chelsea Hotel days after they sought his administration’s help on their plan to renovate the building, THE CITY has learned. Hotel owners Ira Drukier and Richard Born collected contributions to de Blasio’s federal political action committee Fairness PAC, generated by […]
Posted inRunning Bill
Bill de Blasio’s PACs for Dems Helped His Run, Records Show
The state and federal political action committees Mayor Bill de Blasio launched last year to help elect progressives across New York and the country have also aided his favorite Democrat: Him. New filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission late Wednesday night show de Blasio’s federal Fairness PAC and NY Fairness PAC have allocated just […]