Can't the Democrats just nominate Bloomberg and let us get past this charade of an election? It seems it would save the tax-payers a heck of a lot of money.

Going postal on Giff

Hit on '37G' mailing that really cost 1.6M

By MAGGIE HABERMAN,
CELESTE KATZ
and FRANK LOMBARDI
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU

Council Speaker Gifford Miller came under fire yesterday for his belated admission that his budget-related mailings cost $1.6 million - instead of $37,000 as first reported by his staff.

But the criticism came largely from nonpartisan watchdog groups, not his Democratic rivals for mayor.

"While technically legal, it's highly inappropriate given the size and cost of the mailings," said Dick Dadey of Citizens Union, a watchdog group.

"One has to question what they knew, when and why they chose not to disclose the full cost and why they didn't put such a huge mailing out for competitive bids," Dadey said.

And Gene Russianoff of the New York Public Interest Research Group added, "I think any candidate, who happens also to be a city official, should think long and hard before they use the taxpayers' money to promote their name, face and agenda."

Last month, Miller's Council spokesman, Steve Sigmund, had said that 100,000 flyers had been mailed at a cost of $37,000. On Thursday, Sigmund blamed his earlier figure on "a miscommunication" with staffers who handled the mailings, and said that 5.5 million flyers were actually sent, costing $1.6 million.

"There was obviously a mistake made in the initial estimate due to a miscommunication," Miller said yesterday. "And what we have done is very openly rectify it by making sure that people know what the numbers are. It's an appropriate mailing."

Manhattan Borough President Virginia Fields, a mayoral rival, had blasted the mailings as disguised mayoral campaign literature sent at taxpayer expense.

Of Miller's "miscommunication" explanation, another mayoral rival, Brooklyn Rep. Anthony Weiner, said, "I don't know, but it's an awful lot of money."