News Clips

And de Blasio narrowly avoided indictment in an influence-peddling scandal in 2017 that was tied to his fundraising for a nonprofit controlled by his allies, the Campaign for One New York. “He keeps taking the wrong lessons from these reprimands — that he can get away with things, rather than stop doing them,” Susan Lerner, the longtime head of the New York chapter of the left-leaning good government group Common Cause, told The Post in August as the news of the HTC hotel permit shift broke. “It’s deeply upsetting and completely objectionable.”

“At a minimum, it creates the appearance of impropriety and illegality,” said Susan Lerner, the head of good government group Common Cause. “The mayor keeps setting up situations that beg for a pay-to-play interpretation.”

Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, said the good-government group “has long maintained that these kind of entities undermine the spirit of the city's campaign finance laws.”

It’s no secret that New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio has gone a few rounds with the press over stories about shady connections and questionable fundraising practices. Coming off the Democratic presidential primary debates last week, de Blasio was greeted with headlines back home on Sunday and Monday calling his leadership into question. While the reports do not demonstrate – or even suggest – legal wrongdoing, government watchdogs still see cause for concern. “Mayor de Blasio is a walking ethical disaster. This should not be the example we set for national politics,” Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, told City & State via a spokeswoman.

“The Mayor clearly took the wrong lesson from the earlier investigations into his campaign finance activities,” said Susan Lerner, the executive director of good government group Common Cause – New York. “It was not an invitation to continue to skirt the spirit and intent of New York City campaign finance laws by expanding into violating federal laws.”

"New Yorkers are simply tired of politicians who are playing games with the MTA, and not recognizing the need to put the interests of all New Yorkers first and foremost," Susan Lerner said.