Bloomberg’s trips here draw more scrutiny
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s trips to Bermuda continue to draw him an unwelcome level of scrutiny.Mr Bloomberg was criticised for taking a Christmas break at his residence in Bermuda while New York was caught off guard by blizzards.The Wall Street Journal yesterday published flight records for his fleet of private aircraft, which last year alone logged 16 trips.Aviation records show a total of 54 trips to Bermuda from 2007 through 2010 although they don’t indicate which particular flights Mr Bloomberg would have been aboard.Some flights do not match the Mayor’s schedule, but others such as an October 23 weekend flight to the Island appear to indicate that he was.It was one of 41 such flights in which a private jet flew from New York to Bermuda for part or all of a weekend.The flight at the bottom of Mr Bloomberg’s trouble left town on Christmas morning, and was the last to land back at La Guardia airport early the following afternoon, with the snowstorm well underway.Officials want the Mayor to sign out when he leaves town. City Council member Peter Vallone Jr is most recently quoted as saying he is “working with administration now to possibly get this revolved without legislation” but is “prepared to move forward if that can’t be done”.Mr Bloomberg’s jet company has also drawn ire for being the single biggest user of coveted private aircraft slots at La Guardia.Useful web link: www.wsj.com