[hablyShappY]

How much does he spend (waste) infiltrating flyover country gunshows?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...e-Mansion.html

Ever heard of too many cooks, Mayor? Bloomberg spends $245,000 of taxpayers' dough employing THREE chefs at Gracie Mansion

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 7:47 PM on 4th February 2011

When Mayor Bloomberg came into office there was just one executive cook at Gracie Mansion to make the VIP feasts.

Today there are three - costing taxpayers a whopping $245,000 this year.

And despite the big spending cuts the mayor has ordered across every city agency, too many cooks won't be spoiling the broth at the city-owned mansion.

According to figures revealed by the New York Daily News, his longest-serving man in the kitchen, Feliberto Estevez, picks up $97,000.

His pastry chef Jerry Montanez who was hired in 2007 is paid $68,000 while Jose Velazquez is on $80,000 after getting a $10,000 pay rise last July.

Last autumn, there were cutbacks in the police, fire and schools and there are more job losses to come across the board.

[Niiinioa]

Bloomberg also doesn't collect his $200,000 annual salary as mayor and donates $200-$250 million a year to arts and health programs that would otherwise be looking for government funding.

He's hired the extra cooking staff because he's nearly doubled the number of events he hosts for city employees who are otherwise getting benefits cut. If he wants to hire three chefs rather than spend multiples of that cost on catering (try pricing catering in NYC sometime), more power to him.