Solicitors Hit Up Mayor's Secure Phone Line

WASHINGTON – It's not a hot line to the White House or to the Kremlin, but Mayor Bloomberg disclosed yesterday that he has a secure phone in the kitchen of his Upper East Side townhouse.

The mayor mentioned the hookup in passing during testimony before a Senate hearing on homeland security, and he told reporters afterward that it had never been used in an emergency. But while the phone line may be encoded, the number is apparently not on the "Do Not Call" list for solicitors.

"It is not red, and it has not been used, other than to answer an occasional call for, ‘do I want to subscribe to a particular magazine, buy an insurance policy, or some other such ridiculous thing,'" Mr. Bloomberg said.

The mayor's regular home number is listed in the directory, but he joked that those who want to reach him should call his cell phone. He would not give out that number.