Ex-New York mayor returns to his old job

NEW YORK, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's return to the company that made him rich has stirred up the editorial staff, an employee told the New York Times.

"There's a discussion of the ethics of it. There's this feeling that no one is there to say no to him," said the employee who spoke to the Times on the condition of anonymity.

Bloomberg served three terms as mayor and returned to the company that bears his name two weeks after he left office. Bloomberg, whose office was on the third floor, where the Bloomberg terminal business resides, before he became mayor, now has his office on the fifth floor, of the Bloomberg tower, where he is in close proximity to Bloomberg Media Chief Executive Officer Justin Smith, the Times said.

While he was mayor, he said he was not going to return to the business, and Bloomberg LP CEO Daniel Doctoroff, said he did have plans to "to get involved in the day-to-day at all."

In his first week back, however, the former mayor attended an editorial staff meeting and spoke for about 20 minutes, commenting on coverage he liked and did not like, sources told the Times.

"I'm not going to tell you what to write," Bloomberg reportedly said.

"After more than a decade away from his company, Mike Bloomberg enjoyed the opportunity to sit down with a wide variety of employees this week, including editors and reporters, to get a sense of the great innovations they work on every day," said company spokesman, Ty Trippet.

An expert in industry ethics, Kelly McBride, said even attending a staff meeting is ethically problematic.