Election Lawyer Berger Hired as Special Counsel to de Blasio

It appears Mayor Bill de Blasio has rewarded one of the lawyers who assisted him in his initial political ascent.  

Henry Berger, a longtime election lawyer based in New York City, has been hired by the de Blasio administration as special assistant corporation counsel and adviser to the mayor, a position in which he will provide legal counsel to the mayor and staff at City Hall. 

The hiring reunites the mayor and Berger, who played a key role in ensuring that then-councilman de Blasio would have a spot on the 2009 public advocate ballot--although Berger was also responsible for de Blasio being kicked off in the first place.

In July of 2009, the Board of Elections had initially ruled that de Blasio made an error on the cover sheet for his ballot petitions--listing 131 volumes of petitions when there were really 132. De Blasio appeared on "Good Day New York" several days later declaring, "Our lawyer...just did his math wrong," referring to Berger. At the time, Berger stated that in 35 years practicing election law, he had never seen a case like this. The Board of Elections eventually voted unanimously to restore de Blasio's name to the ballot, and he went on to win the public advocate's race that year, using the office as a launching pad for his 2013 run at City Hall. 

Berger declined to comment, deferring to the mayor's press office, who confirmed his job title and role.