NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Violated Ethics Rules in Soliciting Donations: Report

New York City’s Department of Investigation reportedly found that Mayor Bill de Blasio violated conflict of interest rules by soliciting donations from those actively seeking some sort of favor from his administration, including tax breaks and deed transfers. According to The City, the closing memo of DOI’s probe substantiated the allegation that de Blasio solicited “five- and six-figure checks” from the Campaign for One New York fund, while the non-profit had a “matter pending or about to be pending before any executive branch of the city.” DOI also reportedly interviewed several other donors, including three developers, who claimed the de Blasio administration had reached out to them for funds while they had “significant pending business” with them. The department also concluded the administration lacked a proper “vetting” system to screen for ethics concerns in potential donors. It also reportedly found that de Blasio would often make “six to 10” solicitation calls every week in the summer of 2015.