Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Phil Walzak

Phil Walzak

  • In Communications Move, De Blasio Chooses Campaign Over City Hall

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    De Blasio, center, & Walzak, to the mayor's right (Rob Bennett/Mayor's Office)


    There are few people Mayor Bill de Blasio trusts when there is a lot on the line. One of those people, Phil Walzak, has been a top aide to the Democratic mayor since de Blasio’s 2013 campaign, for which Walzak was communications director. This past week, de Blasio’s reelection campaign announced that Walzak is moving from City Hall -- where he had been de Blasio’s press secretary then senior advisor -- to the campaign.

    When it comes to a Mayor

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  • Bill De Blasio's Resurrection Challenge

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    Mayor de Blasio at Gracie Mansion (photo: Demetrius Freeman, Mayor's Office)


    After several months of what the mayor himself called “relentless negative headlines” around investigations into his administration and campaign fundraising, Bill de Blasio is facing low public approval ratings, strong doubts about whether he deserves to be re-elected in 2017, and a resurrection mission ahead of him.

    For the Democrat more than halfway through his third year in office, the upcoming task comes down to solidifying

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  • De Blasio and The Complications of Vetting Campaign Donors

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    Mayor de Blasio, 2014 (photo: Rob Bennett/Mayor's Office) 


    In the early stages of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s run for office in 2013, thousands of small donations flooded in but big donors were rare. “I will admit to you there was a time early in the mayoral campaign when a maximum donation was a very unusual thing in our campaign, so it certainly got attention then,” the mayor said, at a June 15 news conference.

    As the situation changed and bigger donations became more “typical,” the mayor said his campaign was

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