Repudiating his own campaign theme, Mayor Bloomberg yesterday praised Comptroller Bill Thompson as someone “who’s really tried to make this city better” and who has based his decisions on facts, not politics.
When he was running against Thompson, Bloomberg portrayed his Democratic rival as a political hack who took contributions from investment firms competing for business in the comptroller’s office.
“Progress, Not Politics” was the theme of Bloomberg’s third-term run. The mayor also suggested that Thompson was a lousy president of the Board of Education in the late 1990s.
But now that the election’s over, Bloomberg apparently is all about making nice with his old foe.
“My experience with Bill Thompson for the last eight years is that he’s not political,” the mayor said, shrugging off the comptroller’s refusal to approve the reopening of the jail in Downtown Brooklyn.
“Bill Thompson, I’ve said all along is a quality, honest guy who’s really tried to make this city better.”