Mayor Bloomberg Vs. State Democrats

After his $500,000 donation to NY State Republicans was revealed, Mayor Bloomberg explained why he did it to reporters while attending a Mayors Against Illegal Guns conference, "I've said repeatedly, I will help those who help us. They have stood up for the city a number of times — when we needed to have a voice in Albany and we didn't have that voice from the Assembly or from the governor, whether it was the last governor or this governor."

Naturally, State Democrats are insulted. Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver said, “I don’t believe that that’s what he said...The Assembly’s been there on behalf of the city time in and time out, so I think you’d better check.” Um, yeah, well, it's more about the Assembly siding with the mayor's plans like the West Side Stadium...

...or congestion pricing. Assemblyman Richard Brodsky told the NY Times that now “Whatever pressure there was on Democrats to support it is now gone.” And Assembly Carl Heastie said, "Any mayor of the City of New York needs the governor as an ally, I think, a little more than the governor needs the mayor, because there’s so much that the Legislature does to help the city.”

A source told the Daily News' Elizabeth Benjamin why the Mayor may be sour on State Dems, "They could have tried to get Mike to raise money for them, and built a relationship on any number of angles, but they were just absent. They never tried." State Republicans, when Bloomberg was a Republican, did have such a relationship.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on March 4, 2008 6:07 PM

Comments [rss]

megs

Bloomberg such a tool.

brooklyn and i

will the Brooklyn section from all the Bridges ( Brooklyn Bridge- williamsburg Bridge ) neighborhood's bee the" park and ride " for all long island cars

it is very hard to find a normal parking space in Brooklyn. what dangress effect it will be to the the local residential environmental and business?

blablanyc

What a tool.

kerplat

er, jets stadium

kerplat

Top 10 things the state of NY does for the City of NY: (!=sarcastic woohoo! thanks ny state!)

1: underfund our schools!

2: underfund mass transit (depends on the rider's contributions more than any in the nation!)

3: refuse to allow major infrastructure changes that the state shouldn't be allowed to even vote on (giants stadium, congestion pricing, etc)

4: unfunded mandates like increased pension benefits that city taxpayers have to pay!

5: need state approval for some city council bills to pass (other localities just pass their own bills I hear).

6: only in ny: city pays for medicaid!

7: State Authorities (mta, port, etc. that leave the city out of running our own infrastructure)!

8: remember when sheldon repealed the commuter tax? Thanks Shelley! Not that we could use the money for mass transit or anything...

9: NYC pays more than it gets in return - 25% of tax returns are from the city, and 37% revenue - but little comes back.

10: we have to listen to blowhards like Silver, Bruno, Haastie, Brodsky, Spitzer (never thought I'd have to add him to the list, but..) and the rest who hold us hostage to the backroom, lobbyist funded (and payola'd) crap. Secede NYC!

Toby von Meistersinger

The Assembly is there on behalf of lining the members of the Assembly's pockets.

WesleySnipesAlot

Usual Albany partisan politics here.. nothing to see.. move it along folks..

JenChungsBaby

Say bye bye to congestion pricing!

edgar

The Assembly has NOT been there on the behalf of New York City. Sure, it has been there on the behalf of Shelly Silver's district, and the pet projects of those who've ingratiated themselves with him, but New York City has gotten SCREWED OVER by Albany.