New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has rewarded four Republican state senators who voted for the state’s Marriage Equality Act with significant campaign contributions.
Bloomberg gave Senators Mark Grisanti, Roy McDonald, Stephen Saland and James Alesi the maximum campaign donation allowed — a hefty $10,300 each.
“The mayor said he would support Senate Republicans who stood up – and he did,” said Micah Lasher, a top Bloomberg aide.
News of the donations surfaced yesterday when Grisanti became the first of the four to file his July financial disclosure statement with the Board of Elections.
Bloomberg, who traveled twice to the Capitol to lobby for gay weddings, was listed as having made his donation on July 8 – two weeks after the historic vote.
The billionaire mayor on several occasions pledged his support to any GOP state senator who would vote in favor of a marriage equality bill.
New York State on Friday night, June 24, became the sixth and most populous state to legalize marriage for same-sex couples. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law just moments before midnight that same evening.
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The law takes effect July 24.