Michael Bloomberg doesn’t want anybody to get a look at his finances – even if it means jeopardizing his deal for new office space for his empire.
The Post has learned that the mogul’s deal with real estate giant Vornado for 700,000 square feet of space in a tower on the old Alexander’s site in midtown Manhattan is hung up by his refusal to release his financial statements. The deal, in negotiations for two years, had been expected to be signed yesterday.
Bloomberg, a Democrat-turned-Republican who’s leaning toward running for mayor, is so reluctant to let the world see what he’s worth that he’s said he’ll decline public campaign financing and pay for his race himself.
And Bloomberg has not pledged, as have all the declared mayoral candidates, to release his tax returns.
Vornado’s chairman, Steven Roth, wants the likely mayoral candidate’s personal financial statements to support his applications for loans to fund the $300 million to $500 million cost of the full-block tower at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue.
“Bloomberg doesn’t want his finances to go out to 30 banks,” a real-estate source said.
A Bloomberg spokeswoman confirmed the lease was not signed, but would not say why. But, she noted, “We provide financial statements to banks all the time.”
The amount is so large, financing would require a group of lenders, said Andrew J. Singer, chairman and CEO of the Singer & Bassuk Organization, which arranges such loans.
Vornado’s spokesman declined comment, while Barry Gosin, the Newmark leasing agent representing Bloomberg, was out of town.
