The labor leader cousin of Mayor de Blasio sidestepped questions Tuesday about his role in a controversial $175,000 donation to an animal rights group that helped to sink a de Blasio rival in the mayoral race.
John Wilhelm, who once headed the union UNITE HERE!, made a rare public appearance with de Blasio, as both attended a ceremony in Atlantic City dedicating a UNITE HERE! health clinic in honor of Wilhelm’s wife.
John Wilhelm was happy to talk about the clinic — but he said little when the Daily News asked about the $175,000 donation, which the FBI has been looking at as part of an investigation of the 2013 campaign.
UNITE HERE! gave the $175,000 to the anti-carriage horse group NYCLASS on June 1, and two days later, NYCLASS passed along the money to a political action committee that was funding a flood of TV ads attacking the candidacy of then-City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
In addition to being affiliated with UNITE HERE!, Wilhelm was a top fund-raiser for de Blasio’s campaign.
Under the law, independent political action committees like the anti-Quinn group, which was called New York City is Not for Sale, cannot coordinate their activities with any candidate’s campaign.
The de Blasio campaign has denied that any coordination took place.
Asked Monday why his union gave $175,000 to NYCLASS, Wilhelm said, “At the time of the contributions that you’re talking about were made, I was no longer an officer of the union, so you’d have to direct your questions to somebody else. I don’t have any comment on any of that.”
Asked about the FBI investigation, he said, “Nobody’s talked to me.”
UNITE HERE! represents food service, hotels, transportation, textile, laundry manufacturing and distribution, airport and gaming workers. Wilhelm stepped down as president in late 2012, according to the union’s website, but he’s still chairman of the board and assistant to the president for benefits.
His wife, Elizabeth Gilbertson, is chief of strategy of UNITE HERE! Health, the labor-management trust fund that provides health benefits to UNITE HERE members.
De Blasio and his wife, Chirlane McCray, traveled to Atlantic City together by car. The trip was personal, but the mayor took calls and conducted city business while heading to and from the gambling mecca.
“This is not something that means so much to me as a member of (Gilbertson’s) family,” de Blasio said.
“Betsy is a marvel,” he added. “This is about the working people of this town. This is about the union she loves so much, the town she loves so much. People deserve quality health care, readily available and affordable health care.”
Wilhelm said his family and the de Blasios are “very close” and spend every Thanksgiving together. He said he was shocked that his cousin took time out of his schedule to come.
“We didn’t even know he would be here I until he walked in,” he said.
“I didn’t expect him to be here. Governing New York City is a heck of a job.”
