Bloomberg Goes After the Ladies

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is turning his attention to women voters in his bid for a third term, with three new ads and a town hall meeting this week.
    
Monday's town hall will be moderated by one of Bloomberg's celebrity admirers, Whoopi Goldberg. The campaign said the audience will be comprised of invited guests, but questions from the audience won't be prescreened.
    
The meeting comes as his campaign is releasing new television ads that feature testimonials from members of his "Women for Bloomberg'' campaign group, including Kelli Conlin, president of NARAL Pro-Choice New York, an abortion rights organization.
    
The ads focus on issues like reproductive health access, domestic abuse and schools.
    
"Mayor Bloomberg has a great story to tell on issues women care about,'' said campaign spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker.
    
The billionaire independent has spent millions already on ads in his campaign for a third term. His spots so far have mostly focused on jobs and the economy.
    
The Democratic front-runner, William Thompson Jr., has not begun advertising. His campaign did not immediately comment.
    
Bloomberg is cozying up to women at a time when his financial information company, Bloomberg LP, is being sued for discrimination.
    
The mayor gave a deposition last month to answer questions related to the suits that allege the company discriminated against more than 80 women. Bloomberg left the company to run for mayor in 2001 and is not a defendant; the company has said the claims have no merit.
    
Bloomberg settled a separate sexual harassment lawsuit in 2000 that was brought by a female executive who accused him of making repeated offensive remarks while he was chief executive.
    
Bloomberg denied the accusations.