New York, NY – When it comes to giving to charity, Mayor Bloomberg leaves rival candidate William Thompson in the dust. Way in the dust.
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Thompson gave just $885 to charity last year – about 0.5% of his $171,352-a-year salary as city controller, tax records released Sunday show. The Democrat gave $900 to charity in 2007 and just $750 in 2006.
Bloomberg, on the other hand, was named the most generous living American after it emerged he donated $235 million to charity last year, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
The gifts to more than 1,200 charitable groups amounted to about 1.17% of Hizzoner’s estimated $20 billion fortune.
Bloomberg, who earns just $1 a year as mayor, donated $205 million to charity two years ago, according to his tax records. In 2006, he gave $165 million. A year earlier, he gave $143 million.
A spokesman for Thompson declined to comment on the donations or which charitable groups received them.
Thompson, 56, is twice divorced and also reportedly paid off thousands of dollars in credit card debt last year.
Bloomberg, who is running on the independent and Republican Party lines, gave some of his millions to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University; the Robin Hood Foundation, and Stand Up to Cancer, records show.
He recently urged New Yorkers to try to donate more to charities struggling to stay afloat during tough economic times. “I’m in a business where revenues go down when the needs go up,” he told a conference in Atlanta in May. “The most potent force is private philanthropy and the private sector and the government.”
Bloomberg has started his own charitable foundation and said that once his tenure as mayor is over, he would focus his energies on giving away his vast fortune.
The Bloomberg Family Foundation awarded $125 million to fight tobacco use across the globe. It also gave the World Health Organization a two-year, $9 million grant to reduce traffic deaths in Vietnam and Mexico.
why should that supprise us . the mayor has much more money to give out then thompson .
Go bloomberg Go
I think we should do him a favor, and vote him out of office so he could devote more time to giving charity
Oh, come on! It’s like comparing apples & oranges & saying they’re both fruit! Who’s the gazillionnaire here? True, Bloomberg gave a nice chunk of change away (any to frum causes like Mesaskim or Masbiah?) but Thompson is hardly in his financial league, is he? Although granted, I’m sure he could have given more.
The only thing I like about Bloomberg is that he does give charity. Of course, he makes US give…to NYC in the form of taxes & fines.
I respect the mayor for letting others benefit from his fortune. Regardless of how much he has.
Titzku L’Mitzvus….If I had blumberg’s money…i too would give $900….gevaldic
Big deal its all about his tax deductions and his re election
nebech, wld he have the zchus, he wld at least givin some money to a torah or chesed organization… instead he worrys about “traffic deaths in vietnam”…
What a shame to compare percentages of income, thompson needs his 171,000 to get by in this ‘all you can tax’ and overpriced NY lifestyle, verses bloomberg, who probably donated a bulk amount to his family’s charity foundation, which ‘he’ controls, and uses as a back door to gain papularity and buy favorability.
I truly believe it was harder for thompson to give 855 then for bloomberg 235 m.
$885 in charitable contributions on an income of $171,000??? Pathetic. I made $100,000 less (gross income, NOT net) but contributed 5 times more to tzedakah than Mr. Thompson. I’m not bragging. I’m a Jew…it’s what we’re supposed to do.
How interesting and how convenient that when it come to Thompson, they mention the % of his income he gave, which is not too flattering.
But when it come to Bloomberg it mentions the “big number” of dollars he gave without mentioning what percentage of Bloombergs net worth, Bloomberg gave.
Frum Yidden generally give at least 10% Maaser, and many give a Chomesh 20% or more but for a secular person, the percentage is usually a small fraction of what most ordinary, frum Yidden (even the frum-poor) always give.
What is even more interesting, which the article conveniently fails to mention is the actual number crunching as follows:
Bloomberg’s current net worth is reported to be 16 Billion Dollars
If Bloomberg gave away 235 Million, he gave away less than 1.5%
Pathetic, some of you. This is campaign propaganda.
(Reply to #10 ) Don’t be so proud of your 885 times 5, its still less than 10%. Give more tzedukah and you will make much more than 100K.
rob from the middle class and give to the poor
Gov. Patterson, also, gave very little money to charity over the past years.
A jew who wants success should give between 10 and 20 percent of his income
So What? THis guy is the 6th richest person on the face of Earth. What is the point? What about the fact that he is corrupt and taxes everybody becasue he doesnt care as he is the 6th richest person in the world.
He has more money, so what? this is a real example of “Kesef m’tahar mamzarim”
He buys off the whole city with his few dollars. I think for that alone they gave him a third term. Everything is about money.
Funny how they compare .5% of yearly salary to 1.5% of NET WORTH. For all you know, that could be every penny Bloomberg earned from his investments over the past year. If I lived in NYC, he’d definitely have my vote.