Boss Bloomberg buys another election... as 39,000 homeless people check into NYC shelters each night

Jerry Mazza

Let's take the first scary fact. Mike the Boss Bloomberg (as in Boss Tweed) is spending $85 million on this his third term, after New Yorkers voted twice for two-term limits. A little arm-twisting, a raise for the City Council, and badaboom, they rubber stamped it. But, as the New Times reports, "he's on pace to spend between $110 million and $140 million before Nov. 3" to beat his Democratic Rival Bill Thompson, whose got $6 million to spend and is twenty points behind him.

All told, Boss B will have spent when this is all over some $250 million on his three elections, which the Times says is the budget of the home town in Massachusetts Bloomberg grew up in. Mind you, this is the "I take a dollar a year" for the job Bloomberg. But let's examine that. When Bloomberg first bought his way into office his wealth was valued at a mere $5 billion. In the past eight years, it has more than trebled at $16 billion. So the dollar a day investment yielded an $11 billion profit in relatively short term capital gains, so to speak.

The New York Mayoralty has also made Boss Bloomberg a national and international figure as he globe-trots and tap-dances about the city. You can't pay for publicity like that. His high profile had to greatly help his financial business, which is the leader in rapid processing of derivatives trades, the same derivatives that have taken down a portion of the economy. His market savvy comes from his days at, you guessed it, Goldman Sachs as a trader. His mayoral celebrity has given an inestimable boost to Bloomberg News as well. Neither of these enterprises, I suspect, will be of use to the folks sleeping in the shelters.

Additionally, while most New Yorkers Up and Downtown, East and West Side, are tightening their belts, getting tossed out of houses, co-ops or condos, losing their jobs, standing on unemployment lines, etcetera, Boss Bloomberg and his crew are lapping up the gravy. Here's a selection of the goodies from the Times' article"¦

"The campaign has spent $322,521 on food, $293,953 on transportation, $176,066 on furniture and $39,858 on parking.

"His lavish spending has confounded political consultants and campaign finance experts, who said that his popularity with New Yorkers, and his built-in advantages as a two-term incumbent, should be sufficient to win him re-election"¦

"With more than 100 employees, his campaign now has a staff larger than 97 percent of all businesses in New York City. And his political operation has become a one-man economic stimulus program, buying $8,892 worth of pizza from Goodfellas Brick Oven Pizza (itals mine) on Staten Island and in the Bronx"¦

"It's a huge help," said Marc Cosentino, one of the owners of Goodfellas. "They don't have to economize like everyone else (itals mine)."

"Squier Knapp Dunn, the media company responsible for the mayor's television ads, has taken in $48,313,776. While most of that money pays for TV time, media companies typically receive fees of about 15 percent.

"The spending has drawn howls of protest from good-government groups and advocates of campaign finance reform"¦ Several said, angrily, that the mayor's decisions to rewrite New York City's term limits law and then spend wildly to secure re-election, have undermined democratic principles.

"Whether Bloomberg wins or loses, the toxic combination of mega-spending and crass use of his office to bypass the voters on term limits will always be a stain on his mayoralty," said Gene Russianoff, staff attorney for the New York Public Interest Research Group. "These twin assaults on municipal democracy will undermine his political clout in a third term and sadly fuel public skepticism about elections and elected officials," Mr. Russianoff said."

Now, let's get to the second scandalous fact, which somehow Bill Thompson hasn't picked up on.

Crisis looming for NYC Homeless System

As homelessness.change.org reports: "The New York City homeless shelter population has hit an all-time high. Over 120,000 people sought shelter in NYC during the past year and 39,000 homeless people check into NYC shelters each night. With cold weather on the horizon, the number of people seeking shelter inevitable increases. What will this mean for a city already struggling to meet the current need?

"This new information comes from a report published this week by the Coalition for the Homeless, a NYC homeless advocacy group. It said that the city has not seen such high levels of homelessness since the Great Depression. These alarming numbers come despite Mayor Bloomberg’s commitment to ending homelessness "˜as we know it' back in 2004. Despite this commitment, the Coalition points out that homelessness has increased 45 percent since Bloomberg took office eight years ago (itals definitely mine).

"Then again, pointing fingers during a time like this is useless. New York City has a crisis on its hands. If shelters were filled to the brim at the end of the summer, it’s unsettling to think about the possibility of running out of shelter space come winter. This is not a far-fetched possibility, given that cold weather often sends people to shelters in droves. Stop squabbling – politics can wait. It’s time to start thinking about how to save lives this winter."

Do something about it now

I take umbrage with not pointing a finger at Bloomberg, who is the essence of the Elite thumbing his nose at the poor, the working and middle-classes while claiming to be concerned with them. His actions speak louder than his endless commercials. Why doesn't Boss Bloomberg use his own money as freely to finance the building of shelters and/or the transformation of standing structures.

In fact, why doesn't he sponsor a gala for those-with-the-most for those-with-the-least and invite all of his rich friends to attend at $25,000 a plate. In fact, why not tier the ticket prices as Bush would do, having his Pioneer givers peel off a hundred grand a ticket. The Glitterati would love this. Vanity Fair would have a field day covering it.

Boss B could definitely invite his superrich buddy Donald Trump, the builder of so many new hi-rise apartment buildings along the Hudson, near the old train yards Mike wanted to give away for bupkiss to the Giants to build a football stadium"¦ yes, invite the Donald to renovate some space around town for new shelters. After all, he could write it off to charity, and in return for overpopulating that section of the West Side, without building one new school. Its train stations are also woefully stressed with crowds. So Donald's not lonely invite, some more of the money real estate developers Boss Bloomberg is so cosy with.

They developed Citi-Field for the Mets and the New Yankee Stadium with city bonds and city cash, big-time. Maybe his buddy and WTC Lessee/developer Larry Silverstein of 9/11 infamy could lend a hand to turn his karma around and offer some help to the homeless. How I'm doing, Mike, as Ed Koch would say.

More, Boss Bloomberg should go down into those subways for a taste of reality, not at 9 A.M. to show himself for the voters. But at 4 A.M. to catch the gaggle of homeless sprawled on the benches. You need a reservation they're so overbooked. There and on park benches. Or huddled on flattened cardboard cartons in recessed store entrances or in plain sight. It's not a pretty sight for the US's signature city. It's not a pretty sight for the world, so do something about it Mr. Mayor, Boss Bloomberg besides giving us your pat speeches and your arrogance with shines like your permanent suntan.

Bottom line, New Yorkers and Americans coast to coast, have to think of what the so-called democratic election process has come to when guys like Bloomberg can just crush it with money. It's gone. And you have to think, after he's bought New York's election, what's next? Buying New York's soul.