The Budget-Bungling Billionaire
Mayor Bloomberg has spent $37 million on his mayoral campaign so far. Where's it all gone? In addition to the $20 million that's gone to the firm that produces Bloomberg's TV ads and the $1 million or so that's has gone to pay his campaign staff, campaign finance records released today also list office snacks ($72,000) and pizza ($7,000), which, the Times's City Room blog reports, is usually ordered from Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza on Staten Island. Why the mayor's staff needs to order pizza from another borough isn't explained—maybe his campaign volunteers like their pizza cold?—but the mayor's pizza tab isn't the only curious item on the list of expenses. (Not that it really matters: It's the mayor's own money that is being spent, so if he wants to order his pizza from Naples and have it delivered to NYC via Air Bloomberg, that's up to him.) But the $50,000 that Team Bloomberg has spent on phone expenses? It's a little early to be planning for Hanukkah, yes, but finding gifts for billionaires who have everything is a huge pain, less us tell you. So we're making it public here and now. Mayor Bloomberg's very first MagicJack is on us. So step off. [NYT]