I don't always agree with things that the mayor does – after all, I'm a registered Democrat, not just a formerly-registered Democrat – but there are days when I think the man deserves a vigorous handshake, a pat on the back and a Bronx cheer to boot.

Case in point: today's Times story about Mayor Mike persuading top donors to not give to politicians that screw our City over – which politicians, nationally and in Albany, have a habit of doing. To the tune, one might add, of $12 billion a year federally and $10 billion a year in Albany; those are the respective differentials between what we pay in taxes to Washington and Albany and what we get back.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg asked some of the city's wealthiest political donors this afternoon to withhold money from candidates for the White House, Congress and New York state offices unless they agree to support the mayor's political agenda.[...]

Mr. Bloomberg estimated that in the 2004 election year, people living in six ZIP codes in New York City gave more than $61 million to candidates nationwide. That amounts to enormous political leverage, the mayor said, at a time when the city has been "short-changed" in Washington and Albany for years.

"Don't wait for the candidates to call you — call them, pick up the phone," Mr. Bloomberg told the audience of 100 leaders in the investment, hedge fund and finance communities. "If they give you the wrong answer or engage in political doubletalk, tell them, if you want to change the subject, no more checks.[...]

Donald B. Marron, a prominent New York political donor and the founder and chief executive of Lightyear Capital, who helped organized the event, said that he and others would check back in six months to make sure that candidates who pledged to support the mayor's agenda were still on board.

Absolutely dead-on right.

Bookmark/Search this post with:

| | | | | | | |