Mayor Bloomberg's generosity has been noted from educational institutions (like his alma mater Johns Hopkins) and even city organizations (like the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation). He gave staffers on his re-election campaign payouts as big as $300,000-400,000. And when Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff announced he would leave City Hall to become president of the mayor's business, Bloomberg LP, it suggested that the Mayor rewarded staffers he trusts. Well, the NY Times now looks at how some Bloomberg aides' salaries have grown since taking the government jobs in City Hall.
A few points from the article:
- The Times notes that while the mayor has been "holding raises for other city employees to about 4 percent per year," he "has given more than 200 members of his staff increases ranging from 10 percent to more than 100 percent, the records show."
- The number of employees making $100,000 or more "$100,000 or more has risen by 59 percent" since 2002.
- "It is not unusual for mayors to reward their loyal aides, especially as they near the twilight of their tenure" (Giuliani did that) and it's seen as a way to keep important staff.
The Times created a graphic showing the increase in salary over the past five years. Deputy Mayor Patricia Harris happened to get a $350,000 bonus from her work on Bloomberg's 2006 re-election, and Kevin Sheekey made $700,000 in salary and bonus to run the re-election campaign. A former press aide who made $55,000 in 2002 now makes $122,452 as an assistant to Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler.
Even though many of Bloomberg's staff may be taking pay cuts to work for City Hall, we imagine that being able to put "Bloomberg administration" on one's resume would open many opportunities, so it seems like a short-term sacrifice. That is, of course, the mayor decides not to run for President (can you imagine the salaries he'd be paying for that campaign?!?).
Graphic from the NY Times
