Bloomberg Brings In Non Profits To Support Term Limit Extension

As you can see on this nifty map made by the Times, as of right now the Council has more confirmed opposition to the term limit extension than for it. That has to have the Mayor worried about his chances to remain in office past 2009 and he is fighting vigorously for the Council to take the bait and pass his bill. Though there are many ways to influence the Council, there are a few things like getting your favorite non profits to give you an assist at the hearings that are not considered very ethical.

From The NY Daily News:

Thursday night, DN City Hall Bureau Chief Adam Lisberg saw three Ready, Willing and Able vans parked on Broadway outside City Hall. A driver said they brought about two dozen people from its Brooklyn and Manhattan shelters to attend the term limits hearing.

Inside, Doe Fund President George McDonald testified strongly in favor of Bloomberg getting another term in office, saying:

“As a voter, I want the ability to choose leaders who I think will keep it that way," he said. "...There’s a reason Mayor Bloomberg is at 70 percent popularity, because he acts in the best interests of the city of New York, and so should you.”

The Doe Fund has done well when it comes to city discretionary funding. It received $333,250 in City Council aid this year (See P. 91-92 of the FY2009 Schedule C).

As a voter Mr. McDonald can do or say whatever he wants, but disclosing the fact that he owes much of his organization's existence to the Mayor might be interesting to the rest of us. Not only that, by bringing van loads of people that benefit from the program doesn't only smell funny, it is highly inappropriate and possibly illegal.

The Doe Fund is a tax-exempt, non-profit 501(c)(3) charity, which means it is barred from most political activity.

"A charity's resources need to be directed toward its charitable purposes. A charity's not supposed to use its resources for political activities," Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, told the DN.

"If they're a (c)(3), they're not supposed to be involved in any politics. That's the price that you pay to be tax-exempt and be able to give tax deductions on your contributions."

When the DN called the Doe Fund for comment, they got a very nasty response and the spokesman was extremely defensive. Of course, if someone was about to write a story showing that my non profit was engaging in activity that could strip it of 501 (c) 3 status, I'd act just as angrily on the phone as he did. Perhaps they should have thought of that before going to bat for the Mayor in exchange for all of his financial help.