"Mayor Bloomberg has explained why he didn't divulge the Goldsmith arrest but potential mayoral candidates are still trying to use this unfortunate episode for political gain to embarrass the Mayor and force the Council Speaker to hold hearings," Mr. Allon said. "Trying to waste the administration and Council's time on unnecessary hearings when everyone should be focused on creating jobs and improving schools is one of the problems with our political system today."

In the last several days, Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer, public advocate Bill de Blasio and comptroller John Liu have called for the City Council to hold hearings on the matter, something that Council Speaker Christine Quinn has balked at.

Perhaps more interesting than the substance of this is the politics. Mr. Allon is trying to position himself as the closest continuation of the Bloomberg era, space that Ms. Quinn has occupied even though she gets pulled to the left.

Mr. Allon did have some gentle criticism for the mayor in his statement, saying, "I don't think the Mayor or his former Deputy Mayor handled this transparently enough," but quickly adding, "Perhaps there should be clearer rules on this for all city employees who are arrested in whatever jurisdiction, but it is time to move on and focus on much more important issues."