Mr. Met lends support to a new team — Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign
Mr. Met is scheduled to make an appearance Thursday at the opening of presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg's field office in Bayside, Queens. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Mr. Met is bringing his upbeat manic mojo to Bayside, Queens — with stakes far greater than a slot in the postseason.
The iconic Met mascot with a beachball-sized baseball head and a perpetual smile will join supporters of presidental hopeful Michael Bloomberg at the opening of the former New York City mayor's Bell Boulevard field office.
The brick storefront, wedged between an Italian restaurant and a Japanese-style tea room, is one of more than 125 offices nationwide expected to be up and running by week's end, Bloomberg's local campaign spokeswoman said Wednesday, also confirming the presence of the 2007 inductee into the Mascot Hall of Fame.
“Mr. Met will be attending the Queens office opening,” spokeswoman Jennifer Blatus wrote in an email.
Whether Mr. Met's other half, the ponytailed Mrs. Met, will be joining him remained unclear.
Blatus said the office at 39-36 Bell Blvd “will host canvassing and phone banking events, voter outreach and other coordinated activities ahead of New York’s April 28 Democratic primary.”
She did not respond to questions about whether, and if so how much, the campaign is paying for Mr. Met's appearance. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2013 that a one-hour appearance costs $600.
Mr. and Mrs. Met help load the truck going to Spring Training at Fanfest at Citi Field on Jan. 25, in Flushing. Credit: Corey Sipkin
Mets spokesman Harold Kaufman declined to comment.
Bloomberg, one of the world’s richest men and New York City’s three-term mayor from 2002 to 2013, is funding his campaign with hundreds of millions of dollars from his multibillion fortune.
On Saturday, the campaign plans to open a field office in Mineola, a ceremony to be attended by State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, both of whom have endorsed Bloomberg.
By the end of February, there will be 15 such offices across the state, Blatus said.
Bloomberg won’t be at either event, she said.
According to The New York Times, Bloomberg earlier this week told his campaign to broaden the field staff across the country to more than 2,000 workers and double spending on TV ads.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
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