By Jill Colvin 5/09 4:10pm

Penalty

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Bill de Blasio’s 2009 Campaign Fined by Finance Board

He may be running for mayor, but Bill de Blasio’s last campaign is still causing headaches. Mr. de Blasio’s 2009 campaign for public advocate was fined more than $20,000 Thursday for various violations by the city’s campaign finance board.

The fines range from $300 for failing to file a daily disclosure statement, to $1,625 for accepting nine over-the-limit contributions that it eventually refunded, and $1,750 for accepting contributions from eight unregistered political committees, which the campaign also eventually reimbursed. Read More

By David Freedlander 11/01/11 6:44pm

2013

NYC Mayoral Candidate Bill Thompson Attends Anti-Bloomberg Rally

Bill Thompson Redux: Can The ’09 Runner-Up Win The Second Time Around?

On Election Night 2009, Bill Thompson was in his suite at The Hilton and was one of the few people in New York who thought he was about to become the city’s next mayor. Polls from even the week before had him down by as much as 18 points to Mike Bloomberg, and the mayor’s $100 million plus campaign operation had been blitzing the city. They bragged about turnout operation that would be “the most expansive and effective this city has ever seen.” Early in the evening, the networks and the newspapers declared Mr. Bloomberg the winner. Senior Democrats called Mr. Thompson in his suite to offer congratulations, and condolences.

Mr. Thompson told them to wait. Their own returns showed them trailing, but not by that much. “We may have this,” he told aides. The networks reversed themselves; suddenly the race was too close to call. Downstairs in the ballroom, what was thought to be an early evening was turning to disbelief as Thompson aides cursed the city’s Democratic political class—and even President Obama—for lending him only the most perfunctory support because they presumed he was destined for defeat. Read More