Michael Bloomberg requires all of his top officials to live in New York City unless they request a waiver to reside elsewhere, but at least one of them is more than happy to work the loopholes. Deputy Mayor Robert Steel, an ex-Goldman Sachs and Wachovia executive, works in economic development for the city and rents a Chelsea apartment where he's registered to vote, but keeps his wife, four dogs, four luxury cars, and, until recently, his driver's license in the tony Connecticut suburbs:

When The News visited his Greenwich mansion last Sunday afternoon, his wife initially told a reporter Steel wasn't home because he was "in New York."

Moments later, he pulled up wearing golf shoes, shorts and a preppie sweater.

Steel insists he's a New Yorker where it counts: Although his salary from the city is, like Bloomberg, just a symbolic $1, he reluctantly pays taxes locally, calling the personal cost "significant."

Deputy Mayor Robert Steel says he resides in New York City, but facts paint a different picture [NYDN]