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After Slim Win, Bloomberg Campaign Staffers Fear Slimmer Bonuses
By
Ben Muessig
Published Nov 7, 2009
Modified Nov 7, 2009
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By
Ben Muessig
Published Nov 7, 2009
Modified Nov 7, 2009
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They say he runs the city like a business, so it's only fitting that after a poorer-than-expected performance in last week's election, Mayor Bloomberg's campaign workers are afraid they won't get big bonuses this year. In past elections, the billionaire former bond trader and media mogul has paid out-of-pocket bonuses of as much as $400,000 — "a highly unusual perk in municipal politics, a world not typically associated with lavish pay," the Times reports. But after defeating Democratic rival Bill Thompson by just 4.6 percentage points, campaign workers are starting to worry about paltry bonuses.
“It’s crossed our minds,” said one campaign aide, who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity, for fear of losing a bonus altogether. “How could it not?” When Bloomberg won in 2001 by 2.4 percentage points, he gave out $850,000 in bonuses including $100,000 to both campaign manager Kevin Sheekey and aide Patricia Harris. After his 2005 reelection by a whopping 19.4 percentage points, Sheekey brought in $400,000 and Harris, for less than three months of work, netted $350,000.
So far, Bloomberg hasn't announced much — or how little — he plans to dole out. “I haven’t even thought about that,” said the Mayor, who was met with a chorus of boos during a brief speech at the end of the Yankees parade yesterday.
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