He Still Makes Less Than The President!

And I guess he’s had a better year, so far at least:

Robert R. Hammond, 39, an artist and entrepreneur who had no experience in the world of public parks, has been paid about $1.2 million over the years of the High Line’s development — the vast majority of it since 2005. And his salary of $250,000 a year as president and executive director of the nonprofit he helped found, Friends of High Line, makes him one of the most generously compensated leaders of the 10 major park conservancies in the city.

. . .

Mr. Hammond’s salary, found in the organization’s tax filings, falls short of that of Douglas Blonsky, president of the Central Park Conservancy and administrator of the park. He earns a salary of $364,000 a year. But Mr. Hammond’s salary is considerably greater than his counterpart at the 526-acre Prospect Park in Brooklyn and about $45,000 better than the city’s parks commissioner, Adrian Benepe, who oversees approximately 1,700 parks, playgrounds and other recreation facilities.

. . .

The High Line said that Mr. Hammond’s compensation stems from the challenges of operating a park perched roughly 30 feet in the air with a fire code capacity, managing major fund-raising campaigns and working with the city to oversee the design and construction of the High Line, among other duties.

Wow, 30 whole feet in the air . . . maybe if you divide that by 15 feet, which seems to be how wide the thing is, and multiply that by 20 blocks long, you get some sort of formula that comes out to $250,000 a year . . . good thing they decided not to tax everyone within a mile of the place. But then again, you can’t get a peep show as easily in any other park in the city.

Hahahahahahahahaha!

Bloomberg proposes tough new campaign finance reform ideas. Howard Wolfson saves the day:

“Mike Bloomberg doesn’t take a dime in special interest money,” Wolfson said. “No one will ever have to wonder whether contributions influence his decisions….He works only for the taxpayers.”

All The Wrong People Are Winning The Lottery

Dude, you’ll get more chicks with a million dollars and your own apartment, but whatever:

Waquas Mazhar, 19, won the New York Millionaire scratch-off game but will keep bunking with his siblings at his parents’ Midwood, Brooklyn, house.

“I just don’t know yet what I’m going to do with the money,” said Mazhar. “I just know I want to help my family and I want to stay living with them.”

Bloomberg: The Candidate For Fiscal Responsibility

Despite granting DC37 four percent raises during an economic downturn, the mayor doesn’t even get the union’s support, making it money well spent:

New York’s largest city workers union is expected to endorse Controller William Thompson for mayor this week, labor insiders say — a stunning switch from four years ago, when it backed Mayor Bloomberg.

The DC 37 endorsement would be a huge boost for Thompson’s underfunded campaign — not just for the volunteers and phone banks it can offer, but for the message it sends to other unions wary of bucking an incumbent mayor

. . .

DC 37 has 125,000 members and 50,000 retirees. Its members benefited from the generous 4% raises Bloomberg gave city unions last year, around the time he started his campaign to extend term limits so he could run again.

But DC 37 and its executive director, Lillian Roberts, are unhappy with Bloomberg for threatening to lay off its members and for opposing a bill to lift residency requirements for its workers, union leaders say.

The union bought subway ads this spring saying the city wastes $9 billion a year on private contracts that could be done by city workers. The ads blamed “City Hall,” not Bloomberg — but that could change.

And it’s not just DC37: Both the City Council and the Mayor’s office gave staffers raises based on that contract . . . and the best thing is that somehow Howard Wolfson finds the time to criticize donations to Thompson’s campaign. Unbelievable.

Whatever Happened To The Good Old Trusty Press Release, Broadcast Faxed To Major Newsrooms?

If you’re curious how much time, energy and resources are wasted — er, utilized — preparing for a Bloomberg press announcement, see Azi Paybarah’s slideshow here. Clearly the City is not wanting for money.