Mayor targeted businesses for donations who need City Hall: Report

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Mayor Bill de Blasio has targeted people for donations to his non-for-profit Campaign for a One New York, who need his approval to do business with the city, according to a report in the NY Daily News.

The paper says it conducted a yearlong examination into de Blasio's fund-raising tactics. Officials, lobbyists and donors were interviewed. 

The issue is whether some people are being treated differently than others by the administration.

"Thousands of pages of records were scrutinized to determine who made donations, how they came to make their donations, their possible motivation for giving and what, if anything, they got from de Blasio," a report in the DN states.

In several cases, donations arrived  just before, after or on the same day that donors discussed proposed business with the administration.

"These people understand that they need something from City Hall. It puts those people in a position where they say to themselves: if I don't give the money, what will happen to my request and whatever I want from City Hall?" said columnist Greg Smith.

De Blasio's office issued a response: 

"An exhaustive, nearly year-long investigation by the Daily News turned up not one instance of wrongdoing because this administration makes decisions based on the merits and nothing else."