Former Mayor Invoice de Blasio can pay a $330,000 settlement for violating metropolis guidelines through the use of his NYPD element throughout his long-shot 2020 presidential bid — the biggest settlement within the historical past of New York’s Battle of Pursuits Board.
The settlement, the primary time the board has introduced an enforcement motion in opposition to a mayor, marks an finish to the three-year authorized saga centering on de Blasio’s transfer to have his NYPD element accompany him on 31 out-of-state journeys throughout his failed 2020 presidential marketing campaign.
In Wednesday’s settlement, the mayor admitted to taking the safety element together with him regardless of prior warning from the board.
“In contradiction of the written guidance I received from the Board, I did not reimburse the City for these expenses,” de Blasio wrote within the settlement.
De Blasio has already payed $100,000 of the settlement, and has agreed to repay the remaining in quarterly funds over the following 4 years, in line with the settlement settlement. If he defaults a cost, he should fork up a whooping $475,000.
“Today I settled an outstanding case with the NYC COIB,” de Blasio mentioned in a social media put up. “I acknowledge that I made a mistake, and I deeply regret it. Now it’s time to move forward.”
Reached over the cellphone, de Blasio declined to elaborate: “That’s all I have to say.”
The historic settlement comes although de Blasio for years maintained he had executed nothing improper. The ex-mayor additionally sued the board in 2023, searching for to overturn the the town ethics watchdog’s order. That lawsuit was unsuccessful, with a Manhattan Supreme Courtroom choose rejecting it earlier this yr and ruling de Blasio was on the hook to repay the total quantity.
De Blasio and his legal professional, Andrew Celli, argued after the advantageous was first imposed in 2023 that the board’s choice was “perilous” and set an ordinary beneath which the safety of sitting mayors might be in danger.
“Every mayor faces threats, and all mayors are entitled to protection,” Celli mentioned on the time.
Queens Councilman Bob Holden, a centrist Democrat and frequent de Blasio critic, lauded the settlement announcement.
“While the city hasn’t yet been made whole, this settlement ends years of litigation and requires de Blasio to begin paying back nearly $330,000 in taxpayer funds,” Holden mentioned. “His arrogance and misuse of public resources caused lasting damage to this city—but at long last, justice is catching up.”
