Mayor Bloomberg (R) Has Been Responsive To The Needs Of All New Yorkers . . .

Which translates to the Daily News having to wait over four months to receive photos of the mayor with Alaska Governor and divisive figure Sarah Palin, an image that would have become a pretty awesome hit piece for the Thompson campaign:

The picture — and six others — was shot Oct. 10, 2007, when the then-governor of Alaska was on a visit to New York.

Bloomberg hosts visiting pols all the time for short meet-and-greets, and nobody knew at the time that, a year later, Palin would become a controversial Republican icon.

The photos might have been inconvenient for Bloomberg while he was running against Democrat Bill Thompson in a heavily Democratic city, but they belong to the taxpayers.

The Daily News asked for copies of the photographs July 8. Under the state Freedom of Information Law, Bloomberg’s lawyer Anthony Crowell had to respond within five days.

He handed them over two weeks after the election.

See also: Bloomberg For Mayor 2009.