This archive report was first published on 15 December 2019.
Published on December 15, 2019, Mayor Svante Myrick of Ithaca, N.Y., a city of about 31,000, has received a $100,000 Bloomberg grant for a supervised injection facility. The grant is part of a broader effort by Michael Bloomberg to build a network of supporters among mayors and city leaders.
Myrick, who has not endorsed a candidate, said it had not occurred to him to weigh Bloomberg's foundation in his thinking. However, he mused, 'Maybe I should be thinking about: If I endorse Bloomberg, Bloomberg Philanthropies will give us more money.'
As one of the richest people in the world, with a net worth estimated at more than $50 billion, Bloomberg's giving has been unmatched in scale. His philanthropic efforts have acquired a reserve of goodwill and a background capacity for influence, according to Rob Reich, a co-director of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at Stanford.
Stu Loeser, a Bloomberg spokesman, defended the former mayor's philanthropic efforts, saying, 'Unlike Donald Trump, Mike Bloomberg has a real foundation that does real work addressing people's serious needs with no expectations of anything in return.'
Bloomberg and his allies acknowledge that they hope his connections to city leaders will be helpful in the presidential race. At a meeting of the Texas Democratic Party's executive committee, Bloomberg noted that he had 'worked with, and my foundation has supported, a variety of mayors across the state,' including Julián Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio and presidential candidate.
