FOOL’S GOLD
Large chunk of Blaz’s paltry $1.1M prez haul comes from donors with biz ties to city
Mayor de Blasio’s presidential campaign is powered by donations rife with possible conflicts.
At least $370,000 in contributions to de Blasio 2020 are tied to people and entities with business or interests before the city, an analysis by the Daily News found.
The donations represent 34% of nearly $1.1 million that de Blasio’s campaign collected between May 16 and the end of June, according to filings with Federal Election Commission.
They came from individuals, corporations, limited liability companies and firms with vested interests in municipal operations and regulations, as well as donors who work for entities lobbying the de Blasio administration and relatives of those with business before the city.
are hotel workers and owners, attorneys, local real estate developers and others who stand to benefit from their generosity to de Blasio — or have already seen the fruits of their chummy relationship with Hizzoner.
The mayor has already faced multiple investigations into his fund-raising practices, including whether his administration was favorable to donors and others with business before the city. Federal and state prosecutors eventually decided they wouldn’t charge de Blasio or his aides — but they still said he intervened on behalf of donors seeking favors from City Hall.
“The fact that Mayor de Blasio’s long-shot presidential campaign is so heavily funded by individuals who have interests before the city is troubling, particularly because the mayor has a track record of favoring campaign donors,” said Betsy Gotbaum, executive director of good government group Citizens Union. “New Yorkers should feel confident that policy decisions are made, and contracts are awarded, based on merit and not because an individual or entity has supported a politician’s campaign.”
The News analyzed 571 donations from contributors who gave the campaign more than $200 using lobbying records and an official database of individuals and entities “doing business with the city.”
A portion of the ethically shaky donations came from relatives of people with city dealings.
The $370,000 also includes those working for companies in the database – even if the individual donors aren’t listed there – and money from people and entities who are affected by city policy, like the real estate and hotel indusMany