Group demands investigation into de Blasio’s taxpayer-funded ad
A group dedicated to ousting Mayor de Blasio is demanding a city watchdog investigate a “propaganda” video produced by City Hall for possible campaign-finance violations.
In a letter dated Dec. 30, NYC Deserves Better founder Bradley Tusk asked the Campaign Finance Board to examine whether the taxpayer-funded video is lawful since it looks suspiciously like a campaign ad.
The video was released just five days before a prohibition on “city-financed advertisements” kicked in and just as de Blasio’s 2017 re-election campaign was soliciting year-end contributions.
Tusk cited the City Hall video from last week as raising “a number of legal and ethical questions.”
The video, which features two Broadway actors, touts the mayor’s accomplishments in the style of a campaign commercial.
City Hall officials said it cost $900.
De Blasio argued last week that it didn’t qualify as advertising because the city didn’t pay anyone to air it.