Jonathan Capehart

Petrocelli Electric, whose office was raided yesterday in connection to Operation City Lights, just issued a statement to defend their "impeccable reputation for integrity, excellent service and devotion to our customers, which we are committed to preserving."

They note:

A representative of the U.S. Attorney's Office has advised our counsel that neither Petrocelli Electric nor any of its shareholders, employees or officers is a target of any criminal investigation. We have cooperated and will continue to cooperate with the FBI's investigation.

Also worth noting is who specifically sent the message: Jonathan Capehart, a noted advisor to Mike during his campaign.

--Azi Paybarah

Intern David Greenhouse reports that there was lots of energy up at Freddy's event on Fordham Road this morning, with drivers honking and a girl calling from the crowd, "Freddy, I'm cutting class for you!"

Particularly interesting, though, was Al Sharpton's hint at retribution: "There's some Democrats that left, that we're going to make sure they stay gone.... We now know who are our friends, who are not our friends."  read more »

That's curious since, as one reader writes, Sharpton breakfasted at the Regency with his friend Jonathan Capehart, who also happens to be a loyal advisor to one Mike Bloomberg.

NOTE: Capehart notes that his Regency breakfast with Sharpton is a quadrennial tradition, which started -- and sparked a round of rumors -- in 2001.

Mike hosted a packed, $1,000-a-head fundraiser for the Log Cabin Republicans last night.

We hear Patrick Murphy, the Log Cabiner running for Council on the East Side, left a good impression on a crowd that included Bloomberg advisors Patti Harris, Kevin Sheekey, and Jonathan Capehart. Also there were Georgette Mosbacher and Herman Badillo.  read more »

Mike told the crowd that he knows the rap on him is that he used to be a Democrat, but that Giuliani was once a Democrat, and Reagan was once a Democrat.

"Badillo, weren't you one too?" he asked, and then called for a show of hands of lifelong Republicans, and found very few.

On Aug.  read more »

A small brass plaque in the elevator of 126 East 56th Street announces it: "Bloomberg for Mayor." So  read more »