Poor Bill Thompson. The former City Comptroller lost the 2009 mayoral election by a smaller-than-expected margin, raising the suggestion that if there was more support for him, he could have toppled Mayor Bloomberg. And now he's been hit with a $619,125 for his illegal campaign posters.
According to the Post, "The penalty is the largest ever levied for such a violation against a local politician. If he can't get it overturned or reduced, Thompson faces the daunting prospect of trying to raise funds both for his next possible mayoral run in 2013 and for a settlement with the city's Environmental Control Board, where the case was adjudicated. As of Jan. 15, his treasury held just $1,464." Naturally, Thompson's lawyer is going to appeal: Jerry Goldfeder told the Post, "The hearing officer rubber- stamped the Department of Sanitation [which issued the violations] and ignored the overwhelming evidence that the campaign was not liable for these fines. We will appeal and are quite confident that New Yorkers for Thompson will prevail."
The overwhelming evidence is apparently testimony from Thompson campaign volunteers who admitted they put posters on light poles and/or city structures (which cares a $75 fine per offending poster) in spite of warnings from the campaign. But Administrative Law Judge Clive Morrick said, "This was not the work of one or even a few volunteers failing to heed instructions. Posting of this magnitude required a regular supply of handbills, teams of volunteers, organization, transportation, supervision and possibly the use of ladders," noting one light pole had eight posters.
