For a guy who claims not to care about the polls, Mayor Bloomberg is spending a fistful of dollars — perhaps $2 million — to raise his sagging approval numbers by blaming the city’s fiscal woes on Albany.
The mayor dipped into his very deep pockets for a massive direct-mail campaign aimed at boosting his standing among voters — while blaming Albany for a new round of budget cuts he could propose as early as next month.
The move came days after launching a TV ad blitz at an estimated cost of $900,000.
“Albany’s Budget Cuts Will Hurt Our Families. That’s Why Mike Bloomberg Is Standing Up For Us,” reads the flyer that landed in mailboxes yesterday.
One source put the price of that effort at close to $1 million.
City Councilman James Oddo (R-SI) engaged in a bit of mischief when one of the mailers reached his home.
He immediately fired off a letter to Bloomberg asking if the pledge he made in the flyer to protect “vital services like police and fire” meant that a plan to shut 20 engine companies was now off the table. For the record, a mayoral aide said, it does not.
The mailer slams Albany as the enemy, while Bloomberg is portrayed as the hero “leading NYC through tough times . . . with no new taxes.”