Bloomberg Reaches Highest Rate Of Campaign Spending

By: NY1 News

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg has already spent a record $18.6 million of his own money on his re-election campaign, roughly double than what he had spent by this point in his last run, according to a new campaign finance report.

The mayor has spent $15.7 million, including $826,000 for campaign staff salaries, in the last two months alone. He is not restricted by campaign finance rules because he is using his own money.

Of the total campaign spending, about $8 million of the billionaire Independent's money paid for ads. The campaign has also flooded local mailboxes with political mailings that deal with homeowners and economic issues, as part of a sophisticated direct mail operation.

"Depending on where you live or whether you are a registered voter or other characteristics, you might get one piece of mail or another," said Bloomberg campaign communications director Howard Wolfson. "At the end of the day this campaign is about ideas, about leadership, who has the best vision."

By comparison, by May 2005 Bloomberg had spent only $100,000 on campaign mailings and nothing on television ads. His entire first re-election campaign cost $85 million.

"This is the political equivalent of shock and awe. You just go in with all your guns blazing and you hope that the opposition just runs away, and so far it has been a pretty effective strategy," said Steve Cohen of Columbia University.

City Comptroller Bill Thompson, a Democratic mayoral hopeful, blasted Bloomberg by saying, "Mike Bloomberg is spending almost $19 million to try to convince New Yorkers that they need four more years of higher taxes, rising unemployment, record homelessness and overcrowded schools."

Over the last two months, Thompson raised nearly $84,000, bringing his total to a little more than $5 million.

Brooklyn-Queens Councilman Anthony Weiner, who has yet to decide if he is running for mayor, raised $31,000 this period for a total of about $5 million.

Queens Councilman Tony Avella, a long-shot candidate, has raised just $248,000 this entire campaign season - which is $7,000 less than what Bloomberg spent in the last two months for rent for his campaign headquarters.