Did We Happen To Mention Just How Much Big Money?

I had no idea political campaigns could prove so lucrative:

Billionaire Mayor Bloomberg doled out $1.55 million in bonuses to 79 campaign staffers yesterday — including a whopping $400,000 to campaign manager Kevin Sheekey.

The other big winners were Patricia Harris, a top campaign adviser and deputy mayor, who got $350,000, and Bill Cunningham, a senior campaign strategist, who received $300,000.

The mayor gave every other staffer on the campaign’s payroll a bonus equivalent to 20% of the staffer’s total salary. The checks were mailed yesterday — and in time to bring some cheer in the new year.

“The mayor feels that these individuals ran an exceptional campaign, and he wanted to show his appreciation,” said Stu Loeser, a Bloomberg campaign spokesman.

. . .

The mayor’s largesse brings his total spending for his self-financed reelection campaign to at least $79.4 million — the most money ever spent on a nonpresidential race.

. . .

The bonuses for the top three aides come on top of already hefty campaign salaries. As of the last public disclosure statement, Sheekey earned $263,622 and Cunningham earned $255,895 for their work on the campaign.

Harris, who joined the campaign in the final weeks, earned $46,476.

See also: Mayoral Inaugural Details (“When the guests take in Mr. Bloomberg’s swearing-in and speech — scheduled to start at 1 p.m. in front of City Hall — and the Broadway (slash-Las Vegas-slash-Atlantic City) bravura of Liza Minnelli, they will also be taking in about 470 gallons of apple cider, 7,000 plain doughnuts, and 4,000 cupcakes smothered in the colors of the New York City flag — orange, white and blue.”).