Dennis Rivera Praises His ‘Friend’ Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg’s re-election campaign got a big boost today in the form of glowing praise from Dennis Rivera, the chairman

Michael Bloomberg’s re-election campaign got a big boost today in the form of glowing praise from Dennis Rivera, the chairman of SEIU Healthcare.

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Rivera introduced Bloomberg at a speech about health care in Washington this morning saying, “I’ve been very inspired by his innovative work," and, “Mayor Bloomberg continues to be a man of tremendous vision.”

Rivera added, according to prepared text distributed by Bloomberg's office, “It is my sincere hope is that we have his leadership and vision to guide us for many, many years to come.”

He also referred to Bloomberg as “my friend.”

All of which sounds like an endorsement, though the event was not connected to his campaign.

A call to Rivera’s spokeswoman was not immediately returned.

UPDATE: A spokeswoman for Rivera said he was simply expressing his “esteem for the mayor and the work of the mayor, but that’s not an endorsement of the mayor as a candidate.”

Dennis Rivera Praises His ‘Friend’ Bloomberg