Did Reverse Bribery Help Bloomberg Govern?

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 21: Mayor Michael Bloomberg attends Paul McCartney's & Nancy Shevell's party at The Bowery Hotel on October 21, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)
Photo: Rob Kim/2011 Getty Images

Now that his reign is almost over, BuzzFeed has an interesting look at the role Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s personal wealth played in helping him overcome criticism and win allies. One longtime activist recalled that while it was not hard to convince interest groups to join civil suits against Rudy Giuliani, “during the Bloomberg years, it was much more difficult because some groups would say ‘Well, you know we’re getting funding from Bloomberg, we like Bloomberg.’” Since Bill de Blasio isn’t the tenth richest person in America, or even one of the top 100, he’s going to have to figure out a different way to do things.