BLOOMBERG:

“I HAVE ALWAYS OBJECTED TO PAY FOR PLAY”

WEINER: EXTEND PUBLIC DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS TO NYC2012

New York City – Today, on his weekly radio address, Mayor Bloomberg said:

“I have always objected to pay for play… First and most important thing is disclosure so that everybody knows who is taking money from whom and then whether they are acting on it.”

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Queens & Brooklyn) responded:

“If the Mayor means what he says, he should join me in calling for the application of public disclosure requirements to all public private entities, like NYC2012.  The word is out.  Every major developer in the City knows that if you want to get the Mayor’s ear, you have to contribute to NYC2012 first.  Nobody should be able to say there are any secret backdoors to City Hall influence.” 

Last year, the city's Conflicts of Interest Board ruled that Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff and Mayor Bloomberg could raise money directly for NYC2012, something city officials usually cannot do. 

The consequences were predictable: contributions nearly tripled in part because the City’s big real estate, finance, and development companies contributed – including all but one of the seven firms who have received multimillion dollar subsidies since the mayor took office.

One lobbyist was quoted as saying, "If a client came to me and said, 'Look, I want to get in with this administration,' I'd say, 'Hey, give to the Olympics."  

Because NYC2012 is a private organization, without any mandated disclosure or oversight requirements, that may just be the tip of the iceberg.

           In February, Weiner proposed extending the public disclosure requirements to all public-private partnerships like NYC2012.