A bit more about the man tapped to run the country’s largest school system. Before entering City Hall with Bloomberg in 2002, Dennis Walcott was a recognized figure in city politics, joining a lawsuit to block fare hikes by the MTA, and appearing on NY1 to discuss, among other things, civil disobedience and police brutality.
But, throughout that time, Walcott was not a major campaign contributor to city campaigns–something that speaks to his ability not to get bogged down in the pay-to-play access that sometimes bedevils those seeking to influence lawmakers.
According to records on the city Campaign Finance Board web site, Walcott donated $1,410 to city candidates between 1989 and 2001–which pales in comparison to the contributions made by his predecessor, Cathie Black.
Almost all of Walcott’s contributions were to David Dinkins, with no contributions to state nor federal candidates. Walcott hasn’t made a contribution since joining the Bloomberg administration.
Walcott’s campaign contributions:
$100 on 7/16/1986 to David Dinkins mayor
$35 on 7/14/1987 to David Dinkins mayor
$50 on 8/3/1989 to David Dinkins mayor
$50 on 10/25/1989 to Virginia Fields for City Council
$25 on 10/27/1989 to David Dinkins mayor
$1,000 on 5/1/1992 to David Dinkins for mayor
$50 on 4/19/1993 to David Dinkins for mayor
$100 on 8/18/2001 to Helen Marshall for borough president
