Mayor Bill De Blasio Criticized For Shielding Communications With Private Sector Consultants
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio has moved to classify his inner circle of private-sector consultants as "agents of the city," a designation shielding their communications from public disclosure.
The move has sparked outrage from good-governments groups that believe the outside voices act as a shadow government.
It comes as first-term de Blasio's administration has been besieged by a joint federal and state investigation and a swirling number of scandals that have sunk his approval ratings.
De Blasio revealed the agent of the city title when he defended his administration's decision not to release the emails of an outside adviser under the state's freedom-of-information law.
Some aides had worked on the mayor's now-shuttered "Campaign For One New York," a privately funded non-profit that's under investigation. Others had worked on the mayor's fundraising efforts on behalf of State Senate Democrats in 2014, which is also being looked into.
Five private-sector advisers have been given the title. Officials on Friday didn't reveal how the classification was made.
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