You don't see the mayor of New York take the stand in a trial every day, but today is one of those days. As part of the ongoing criminal case against political consultant John Haggerty the prosecution today called hizzoner to the stand and he so has, with a chorus of twitterers present. This isn't the first time a sitting mayor has taken the stand, but it may be the first time one has done so as the victim of a crime. And if lawyers were hoping for a testy Bloomberg, they seem to be getting their wish. more ›

Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance announced that Republican operative John Haggerty was indicted for allegedly stealing $1.1 million of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's money. The Post explains, "The indictment came after The Post ran a series of stories detailing how the mayor wired $1.2 million to the state Independence Party in two transactions right before the [2009] election so it could transfer $750,000 to Haggerty, a once-trusted member of Bloomberg's campaign team, for the poll-watching effort." more ›

Despite his newly minted status in the party (before 2007 he was a Republican, before 2001 a Democrat), Independents want Mayor Bloomberg as their presidential candidate in 2012! The chairman of the party's Minnesota branch—the very same that helped raise WWF champ Jesse "the Body" Ventura to the governorship—has asked that the NY mayor give "serious consideration" to a White House run. "The two-party system has catastrophically failed America," said Jack Uldrich. "America needs a serious, credible independent to right our sinking ship and get it back on track to a prosperous future." more ›

Bloomberg made so many donations last year he can't even keep track of them all. Something shady is allegedly going on with one of them, a $750,000 contribution to the Independence Party, prompting Manhattan DA Cy Vance to investigate how the money was handled by a top aide and what exactly it was spent on. "We handed the money over to the Independence Party, and they have the full accounting, presumably, of how the money was spent," said Bloomberg's campaign lawyer Ken Gross. "The understanding was that the money was helping go to the party to pay for Election Day expenses such as poll watchers." more ›

How many billionaires does turn a third party into a contender? At least two, according to the Post, which says that Mayor Michael Bloomberg and upstate businessman Tom Golisano are working to "revamp the state Independence Party as an 'issues oriented' group focusing on government reform." more ›

Republican presidential candidate John McCain was on 60 Minutes last night and showed bipartisan leanings, when it comes to someone who could head the Securities and Exchange Commission. McCain, who previously blasted SEC chair Christopher Cox, said, "This may sound a little unusual, but I’ve admired Andrew Cuomo. I think he is somebody who could restore some credibility, lend some bipartisanship to this effort.” The candidate said Cuomo "did a good job" as HUD secretary under Clinton, “And he has respect, and he has prestige.” In other NY state of mind McCain news, the state's Independence Party endorsed him, noting his independent thinking. more ›

An AP report that Mayor Bloomberg has been "conducting extensive polling and voter analysis in all 50 states" continues to fan the flames of a possible Bloomberg '08 bid. We can just imagine it: People in Alaska, Missouri, Ohio, all getting phone calls and asked, "How would you feel if a billionaire who happened to also be a mayor of a certain urban area decided to run for President - as an independent?" more ›

-According to NASA, Earth currently orbiting through a swarm of space debris. That means an increased chance of seeing a "nighttime fireball." One of our readers in Williamsburg saw one last night, so keep your eyes to the sky tonight and you might see one too (bonus! get a picture of it and post it to flickr with a "gothamist" tag we'll award you an official "Gothamist No-Prize"!). more ›

Yesterday, the seven mayoral candidates for Mayor converged in Queens to speak at the Northeast Queens Jewish Community Council. Mayor Bloomberg left after giving opening remarks, giving some of the other attendees (Democrats Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, City Council Speaker Gifford Miller and Representative Anthony Weiner; Republicans investment banker Scott Shaw and Thomas Ognibene of Queens) opportunity to slam him. Weiner ragged on how Bloomberg was there for such a short period (Bloomberg says he had other activities; this ">Post picture proves he needed to be in a Greek parade with some youngin's) while others sounded the usual things against him: The West Side Stadium, education reform that hasn't quite jelled, being a billionaire, bad housing policy, and being Manhattan-centric. more ›

The Mayor also pandered to his audience by by saying he'd like a West Side Stadium because that would be used "eight Sundays a year by groups of very large athletic men wearing tight pants." Yeah, football is homoerotic, just don't tell the fans that. And in a fundraiser yesterday, the Mayor blew the horn of the Independence Party, citing the disaffect in both the Republican and Democratic parties. The 40th Anniversary G.I. Joe is just under $35 on Amazon, but Gothamist is a fan of Gay Billy. more ›