Bloomy: Obama Doesn't 'Get Paid That Much'

(NEWSER) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has already spent $18.7 million in his bid for a third term, outpacing his own 2005 campaign by 55%, the New York Daily News reports. The billionaire's three main competitors have spent a combined total of about $2.5 million, with controller William Thompson leading the way at $1.4 million. The election is 6 months away. More»

New York mayor got wealthier as rest of rich list top 20 got poorer

(NEWSER) - How does he do it? Last year was so bad for the world's billionaires that a third of them were demoted to mere multi-millionaires but Michael Bloomberg bucked the trend big time by actually increasing his wealth, the New York Daily News reports. The New York mayor, with an estimated net worth of $16 billion, is now the 17th-wealthiest person in the world, according to the latest Forbes rich list. More»

Bloomberg's city-as-business style likely hard to replicate

(NEWSER) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will vacate his office in 18 months, the New York Times reports, and local business honchos are already hunting for a replacement candidate who shares Bloomberg's financial independence and city-as-a-business approach. "What the business community wants is not just a businessman but a Bloomberg-type businessman, who is not beholden to special interests," said one corporate bigwig. More»

Stagehands, producers agree to meet this weekend

(NEWSER) - The stagehands striking on Broadway will resume talks with theater producers this weekend, the New York Times reports. The two sides were tight-lipped about whether the meeting would end the five-day strike, which has closed 27 shows on the Great White Way. But Michael Bloomberg called the negotiations “a very important step forward.” More»

Washington pushed those shaky mortgages, 'plain and simple'

(NEWSER) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg thinks Occupy Wall Street protesters are going after the wrong villains: "It was not the banks that created the mortgage crisis," he said today, according to Capital New York . "It was, plain and simple, Congress who forced everybody to go and give mortgages to people who were on the cusp." It might feel "cathartic" to blame Wall Street, he added, but the folks in DC "were the ones who pushed Fannie and Freddie to make a bunch of loans that were imprudent, if you will. They were the ones that pushed the banks to loan to everybody." More»