For a guy who whines about money in politics — and is always calling for more transparency — Mayor de Blasio sure gets his cash in a sneaky way.
On Tuesday, The Post’s Carl Campanile reported that several school-bus operators funneled $40,000 to the Campaign for One New York. This is the nonprofit founded by de Blasio allies after his election as mayor and devoted to promoting his agenda.
Notably, the bus owners — who are seeking a new contract with the city — attempted to keep the funding under the radar by getting friends, associates and family members to make the donations.
There’s a pattern here. In April, the same mayor’s group received $350,000 from the American Federation of Teachers just before the AFT’s local affiliate reached a big fat contract that included raises and retroactive pay the union had been demanding.
All together, the Campaign for One New York amassed $1.7 million in the six months Mayor Bill has been in office. Question is, how much of this has been snuck in by special interests trying to get on the mayor’s good side?
The usual response is that these contributions show we need public financing of campaigns. But wait a minute. New York City already has public financing of campaigns. So how is that a solution?
We don’t begrudge people or organizations raising money to advance their political agendas.
We just wish they’d be more up front — especially when the donations come from powerful interest groups making hefty contributions to Mayor Bill’s pet Super PAC at the same time they are negotiating contracts with the city Mayor Bill runs.