Results tagged “reelection”

In this week's issue of the New Yorker, reporter Ben McGrath looks at Mayor Bloomberg—headline, "THE UNTOUCHABLE," subhead, "Can a good mayor amass too much power?" While the article offers an image of Bloomberg with a crown hovering over his head, the caption says this, "Ambitious younger mayors around the country call him Papa Smurf." Indeed, further into the piece, McGrath writes, "[Newark mayor Cory] Booker and other ambitious younger mayors around the country, like Adrian Fenty, in Washington, D.C., call him Papa Smurf."

A NY1/NY Times/Cornell University poll found that while voters think Mayor Bloomberg is fine, they're happy to vote for someone this fall. NY1 reports, "The poll shows that while 60 percent of New Yorkers approve of Bloomberg's job performance, 55 percent say the want "someone else" in City Hall next year."

Since his tremendous wealth and good approval ratings make him seem like an inevitable winner, the Daily News asks experts "how can Mayor Bloomberg lose" the election. Baruch College School of Public Affairs' David Birdsell suggests a scandal could derail the incumbent mayor's bid, but "It would have to be something heinous, prurient or both - with photos." And "[barring that, a] detailed, high-profile conflicts disaster with Bloomberg LP" would also be very damaging. Another Democratic operative says it could be "something that eats away at his 'competence' factor, i.e., they really [screw] something up big-time" and also suggests "push[ing] his buttons... Voters don't see it, [but] he has a bit of a thin skin." In the meantime, Bloomberg's re-election staff does have some (possibly unintentionally) funny campaign signs in their office—PolitickerNY has the amusing slideshow.

Mayor Bloomberg may be enjoying a comfortable lead in the polls, but that $80 million he plans to drop on his re-election campaign isn't going to spend itself. As Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause, tells the Times, "If you have too much money in your campaign, you don’t use it productively. He’s hired so many consultants who are looking for something to do." Like annoy New Yorkers with a telephone survey spreading innuendo about likely Democratic rival Anthony Weiner! The practice, known as "push-polling," is described by one of Weiner's advisers as, "one of the most discredited and dishonorable forms of negative campaigning."

Mayor Bloomberg (aka "Mike Bloomberg" on Twitter) spent weekend all over the city, as he opened campaign offices for his third term bid. He told the crowd in the Bronx, "Do you remember life without 311? Neither do I. Do you remember when you had to breathe someone else's cigarette smoke? I remember that.... We've got an awful lot of work to do, but if we put New York ahead from partisan politics, if we go out and to explain to everybody, there may not be any easy, painless way, but there is a right way. The right way of hard work, and being accountable and being inclusive, of knowing that we can do it if we can just pull together." So that wooing of the Republican Party...

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg's re-election campaign released its spending so far, which totals $2,920,977. While a big number, the Daily News and NY Times all point out that, by this time in 2005, Bloomberg's campaign spent $5 million. (He ultimately sank $84.5 million in 2005.) More details of the breakdown at the Times and News, which also quotes Baruch College's Doug Muzzio, "This isn't even pocket change. These are the pennies that fall through the holes in his pocket - nothing." Bloomberg campaign communications director Howard Wolfson (his firm is paid $40,000/month) said, "We agree with Bill Thompson— this isn’t about money. The race will come down to which candidate has the best record and vision to lead the city at this difficult time." Of course, Thompson, who is running for mayor, also said, "In the end, people will beat money... I believe I'm going to be the next mayor of the city of New York."

After Rep. Anthony Weiner revealed his hesitance about running for mayor this fall, reporters asked Mayor Bloomberg if his wealth was intimidating to other potential candidates. The mayor, the 17th richest man in the world, is reportedly spending $80 million (or 0.5% of his wealth) on his campaign. Politicker NY, which has video of the extended answer, reports that Bloomberg said, "There’s no evidence to me that there are fewer candidates running... We don’t preclude you from running because you got a better education than I did or are better looking or more photogenic.” Related: The NY Times' Clyde Haberman explains Bloomberg's "we love rich people" remark by way of the Mayor's budget data that "show... people earning $500,000 or more a year make up 1 percent of New York taxpayers but account for nearly 50 percent of the income taxes that the city collects."