A deputy mayor to Michael Bloomberg lives with his wife and four dogs in a sprawling multimillion-dollar manor in Connecticut rather than in New York City, as he is required to do.
When the Daily News cornered Robert Steel in the driveway of his 7-acre Greenwich expanse and asked him about it, Steel, who was named deputy mayor for economic development last August, posed another question:
“Where would you rather live if you were a dog? I’d rather live here.”
Steel maintains he lives in the posh four-bedroom Chelsea apartment he began renting last September and switched his voter registration to that address at that time, reports the News.
But his wife, dogs and four fancy cars all call the 7,438-square foot Connecticut manse home. Steel also put the Connecticut address on campaign donations this year, including two that list his job as deputy mayor, reports the News.
Under an executive order issued by Bloomberg, top officials must live in the city unless they specifically request a waiver, which Steel did not do.
Since he didn’t ask for the waiver, he was required to move to the city within 90 days of his August 2010 appointment.
It was only this past May that the 60-year-old former banking executive changed his driver’s license to reflect the Manhattan address he claimed he moved to eight months before.
Steel did not answer the News’ questions about his campaign contributions, nor did he offer proof that he files his taxes in New York as he claimed.
The mayor’s office would not release Steel’s tax return.
“I can’t remember the last time I was here on a weekday,” Steel told the News when confronted at the Connecticut address, claiming he was just visiting. “I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do.”
