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May 22, 2007
Mayor's Fund Attracting Big Money From Business
The NY Sun
By Jill Gardiner
Wanna know how to get on Bloomberg's good side? And it's legal to boot!
Companies with business before the city are among those contributing to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, which has been raising millions of dollars to support some of Mayor Bloomberg’s highest priority initiatives, including anti-poverty programs, public art restoration, housing, and parks.
The list of nearly 100 organizations that donated to the city’s charitable arm between October 2006 and March 2007 shows support for Mr. Bloomberg’s projects from a cross section of industries, including television and film, banking, and telecommunications.
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New York-based corporations and philanthropists are paying more attention to the fund than ever. And while Mr. Bloomberg often says he is not beholden to special interests because he does need campaign contributions, the fund is one way for those with business before government to attempt to get on the mayor’s good side. JPMorgan Chase, for example, is seeking tax breaks for a new headquarters. The Starr Foundation is controlled by Maurice “Hank” Greenberg, who, along with the foundation, was the target of a probe by Eliot Spitzer when Mr. Spitzer was attorney general.Donors who have interests in the city are not hard to find. Filings going back to October 2004 show that... Forest City Ratner, the developer on the Atlantic Yards project, gave between $250,000 and $499,999.
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An associate director at Common Cause, Megan Quattlebaum, said that while the fund cannot be equated to a political campaign, its roster of donors should still be watched to see if anyone is getting special treatment.“There are all sorts of ways that money creeps into politics,” she said. “I’m skeptical of the idea that anyone is completely above influence. The old saying goes, money is like water. It always finds an outlet.” “It’s vital to know who is giving to the fund,” Ms. Quattlebaum added. “Even though Bloomberg doesn’t take campaign contributions, there are issues near to his heart.” The president of Citizens Union, Dick Dadey, also noted the distinction between giving to a candidate and to the fund, saying the projects the mayor is raising money for are advancing the public good — not one person’s political goals.
“I’m sure that these firms’ support for the fund does not go unnoticed, but it is done with the benefit to the public,” he said.
NoLandGrab: Back in March, we billed Matthew Schuerman's article in The NY Observer, covering Forest City Ratner contributions to the fund, as a must-read, (see, "Forest City Ratner Gives to Coney Island Carousel, Other Bloombergian Public Projects").
Posted by lumi at May 22, 2007 10:20 AM