Mayor’s Campaign Operatives Fan Out To Unexpected Places After Election

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

In the four months since Mayor Bloomberg won re-election, his campaign staffers have popped up in some unexpected places, including on the other side of City Hall, which often fights him on key legislation.


The head of the Bloomberg campaign’s get-out-the-vote operation, Maura Keaney, is now working as a senior adviser to the speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn.


Ms. Keaney, who was with the Bloomberg team during the last five weeks of the campaign, was hired as the deputy chief of staff to Ms. Quinn last month after helping the Republican mayor realize a landslide victory. Other Bloomberg staffers have ended up with Senator Schumer, Council Member David Yassky, and gubernatorial candidate Thomas Suozzi.


Once campaign operatives fan out, political consultants said, the relationships they established during the campaign often become valuable in creating new lines of communication.


“Politics is personal,” a veteran political consultant, Norman Adler, said. “If people have personal relationships or things in common, it’s easier to communicate. That’s why there are ethnic and racial advantages, there are campaign advantages, there are advantages when both of you are birdwatchers or members of the same rotary club.”


Ms. Keaney, who was chief of staff for Ms. Quinn between 1999 and 2001, said “there are definitely some of the same players” at City Hall these days.


“Being able to make a call to somebody and say, ‘Hey, it’s Maura,’ rather than, ‘It’s Maura Keaney from the speaker’s office,’ is helpful,” she said. “I’m not sure that it changes the speed at which things get responded to, but it’s good to have relationships.”


Mr. Bloomberg and Ms. Quinn have had a chummy relationship and have announced several joint initiatives since she was elected to her position in January.


While political analysts agree that the staff connections are unlikely to change policy agenda, they said having a direct line to people such as Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey, who was the chief campaign strategist, or other members of administration can be indispensable.


“People are more likely to pick up the phone and pay attention,” Mr. Adler said. “It doesn’t mean you win, but access is a critically important ingredient in politics. A lot of people are looking for it and don’t get it.”


Among the many other Bloomberg campaigners now in the administration are a former political union operative who was the field director for the mayor’s campaign, Patrick Brennan, who is now chief of staff to Mr. Sheekey; and a senior Bloomberg campaign adviser, Terence Tolbert, who is now chief Albany lobbyist for the schools chancellor, Joel Klein.


Mr. Bloomberg’s campaign press secretary, Stuart Loeser, also moved over to the administration after the November election, and Patricia Harris, who is now the first deputy mayor, took time off to work on re-election efforts as well.


Mr. Yassky’s new chief of staff, Neil Giacobbi, was in charge of the Bloomberg campaign’s volunteer program, a massive operation that included 55,000 New Yorkers. He had worked with Mr. Sheekey on the host committee for the 2004 Republican National Convention.


“I still talk to Kevin regularly for personal and professional advice,” Mr. Giacobbi said.


Others have used the Bloomberg experience to jump into higher-level jobs. David Parker, a 2003 Harvard graduate who was writing for the Bloomberg campaign Web site, is now Mr. Suozzi’s speechwriter.


“It’s the churn that occurs after a successful political campaign,” a professor of public affairs at Baruch College, Douglas Muzzio, said.


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use