Newsday

Forget leftover pizza—billionaire mayor feeds campaign workers well

October 11, 2005—Stale coffee and day-old pizza—the typical fuel for political campaigns—have no place at the table in billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s re-election operation.

The Republican mayor, who is dipping into his $5 billion personal fortune to bankroll his campaign, has spent nearly $50 million so far—tens of thousands on takeout and treats just to keep his workers full and caffeinated. It is a practice lifted directly from the management style Bloomberg honed as a CEO before he entered politics: Happy employees equal increased productivity.

"You have to pay for that _ it turns out that you get real value for it," Bloomberg said recently, referring to what he learned as a businessman. "I’ve had a lot of first-hand experience in terms of knowing how to incentivize people to do a good job."

The campaign’s grocery list includes more than $35,000 worth of sodas, instant soup, nuts, candies, pretzels and java from a company that provides workplaces with refreshments and machines that brew single cups of coffee and cappuccino. Coffee Distributing Corp. also used to deliver goodies for the workers at Bloomberg’s financial information company.

"He expects a lot out of them, and in return he wants to give them the best work environment," said Bob Friedman, head of the refreshment company.

Finance reports for Bloomberg’s opponent, Fernando Ferrer, show about $600 worth of food bills, including a $200 shopping trip to Whole Foods and a few pizza orders _ mostly for big meetings, spokeswoman Jen Bluestein said. The campaign, which doesn’t provide coffee for its staff or volunteers, has spent a total of $6.6 million and relies on a public matching fund program to compete with Bloomberg’s boundless bank account.

Bluestein said Ferrer workers are supporting him "because they know we need a change in leadership and they believe in his vision for this city, not because they think there’s going to be a lot of fancy free food and carbonated beverages."

At the mayor’s campaign headquarters, staffers can log on to a Web site to get takeout, on Bloomberg’s dime, delivered from one of hundreds of New York City’s restaurants. At the click of a mouse, they can scarf down pad thai, sashimi, a pastrami sandwich or falafel within an hour.

The campaign has ordered more than $43,000 worth of meals through the company, SeamlessWeb. When they log on, a page pops up with a list of restaurants that are open at that hour, along with reviews and menus that are sortable by cuisine type or price limit.

SeamlessWeb does most of its business not with political campaigns but high-powered law firms and Wall Street investment banks notorious for working their employees late into the night. CEO Jason Finger said the service satisfies both ends because the bosses recognize that workers who are "well fed and staying at their desks rather than running out to a restaurant are going to be more productive."

"It also says, ’Wow my employer really cares about me and is making this wonderful perk available to me,"’ he said.

Other edible perks consumed by Bloomberg volunteers and staff include a few mouth-watering ice cream birthday cakes from Cold Stone Creamery, Dunkin’ Donuts treats and New York staples like bagels and yes, pizza. But it’s always hot.

"’They ask us, what do you guys feel like today?"’ said Frederick Whiteside, a Brooklyn resident who has been volunteering since August.

Whiteside said he has volunteered for other New York City campaigns, and has never been treated so well, from the food to the overall atmosphere. About 2,000 volunteers work for the campaign in an average week, and coordinators say they have recruited 41,000 volunteers total.

Jacques De Graff, a political strategist who has worked on campaigns, said the stressful, fast-paced, exhausting environment of politics often makes volunteers and workers feel used and unappreciated, and therefore less eager to pull an all-nighter or do whatever it takes to win.

The Bloomberg operation, he said, sounds like a "campaign worker’s dream come true."

"It encourages long hours, creative thinking and fierce loyalty—that’s consistent with the general reputation of Mayor Bloomberg, that he takes care of his people," said De Graff, who worked on the Rev. Al Sharpton’s mayoral campaign and was deputy director for Bill Bradley’s 2000 presidential run.

Senior Bloomberg campaign staffers have also blown thousands of dollars at some of New York’s top restaurants, including a $400 dinner at Spice Market, $240 at Mario Batali’s Esca, and $197 at Cafe des Artistes, where the duck a l’orange entree with foie gras runs $34. The lavish meals aren’t just for themselves, but rather to wine and dine potential supporters, aides say.

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