We have a winner in the Democratic primary for mayor – for best-fed campaign.
Bill Thompson’s team has paid $43,000 to restaurants, bars and caterers this year — spending more funds at such establishments than any rival, Republican or Democrat.
The Thompson campaign has also taken the lead in good taste. Of the restaurants that have Zagat ratings, its choices average out at a 21.5 out of 30 (“good to excellent”), the highest of any campaign.
BILL THOMPSON: The Stone Lounge, Time Warner Center, $26,173.55, paid June 12. Zagat: 23 for atmosphere. Photo: Anne Helmond/Flickr
Most of the spending has come in connection with fundraising events – a telling sign of a campaign’s style.
“Some candidates will have events where people come and they feel important, and they give $500, $1,000, $2,000,” said political consultant Steven Stites, who works with Republicans in New York City and elsewhere. “Others prefer a more kind of personalized fundraising in which there are smaller events, and even boardroom or one-on-one meets with people.”
JOHN LIU: Jing Fong, Chinatown, $14,700, paid Jan. 8 and Feb. 26. Zagat: 21. Photo: Dan Zelazo/Flickr
One way or the other, the idea is the same, Stites said: “There are many donors who like to be entertained for their money. They want to come and have a glass of wine and a dinner, and make a night of it – and then they’ll give.”
Leading the list of establishments where the Thompson campaign has paid the bill is the swank Stone Rose Lounge at Time Warner Center, the bar where Thompson celebrated his 60th birthday with a July fundraiser — and spent more than $26,000.
The Thompson campaign declined to discuss the event and did not respond to an inquiry about how much money it raised there. The campaign raised nearly $557,000 in July 2013.
This year Thompson also paid for tabs at Junior’s in downtown Brooklyn, Jerry’s Cafe in Tribeca, Michael’s in Marine Park and the Michelin-recommended Jake’s Steakhouse.
John Liu’s campaign likewise shows a leaning for mixing politics and food. Though currently in fifth place in the Democratic primary according to the latest poll, Liu — who is known to have said that his days on the electoral trail involved “pretty much nonstop eating” — comes in as a solid second with $34,000 spent on eating and drinking establishments this year – nearly all of it labeled as fundraising.
That included $14,700 for the massive Cantonese banquet hall Jing Fong in Chinatown (“bustling” and “affordable”). Liu’s campaign averages 20.2 on Zagat – or “good to very good.” Dating back to the beginning of the campaign, Liu is by far in the lead, spending about $145,000 on fundraisers and other food-focused events.
ANTHONY WEINER: Almond, Flatiron, $3,866.26, paid July 11. Zagat: 21. Photo: ZagatBuzz/Flickr
CHRISTINE QUINN: Balthazar Bakery, Soho, $449.35, paid July 31. Zagat: 24. Photo: Christine Urias/Flickr
Bill de Blasio and Anthony Weiner are running much leaner operations: Their campaigns each spent about $10,000 in 2013 at dining establishments, bars, and caterers, filings with the New York City Campaign Finance Board show. Because total spending is capped for participants in the city’s public financing system, every dollar not spent on food is something that can be spent on ads and getting out the vote.
The de Blasio team has spread its wealth more widely than the other campaigns this year, patronizing 42 establishments, from the Second Avenue Deli to Murray’s Cheese. Its careful spending opened the campaign up to an accusation that it received a discount on catering services for a 2012 fundraiser, allowing it to steer clear of spending caps; the de Blasio campaign calls the suggestion “ridiculous.”
BILL DE BLASIO: 2nd Avenue Deli, Kips Bay, $233.65, paid Jan. 9. Zagat: 23. Photo: Clint McMahon/Flickr
The trimmest campaign of all is that of weight-conscious Christine Quinn, who has shared word of her Spartan lifestyle on the trail – foregoing even canapés when they’re offered.
Her campaign, which maxed out on fundraising for the primary early last year, has only spent about $8,000 on restaurants, bars and caterers this year.
Both Quinn and de Blasio score unspectacularly on Zagat, “Good to very good.” Park Avenue South’s Weiner ranks “Very good to excellent.”
