The five political consultants and pollsters who’ve charged the most money so far in the current election cycle in New York City.
1. Squier, Knapp & Dunn. $4.8 million. This Washington, D.C., firm has charged GOP candidate Michael Bloomberg so much already because it’s placing the massive TV ad blitz for the media mogul.
2. Morris, Carrick & Guma. $1.75 million. Media wonk Hank Morris has raked in almost all of this from mayoral candidate Alan Hevesi. About $1.3 million of this money was for an ad buy.
3. Penn, Schoen & Berland. $465,000. The hot pollsters behind Hillary Rodham Clinton’s successful Senate campaign raked in $375,000 from Bloomberg’s deep pockets. The outfit is also working for Bronx beep candidate June Eisland, Queens beep wannabe Carol Gresser, public-advocate candidate Betsy Gotbaum and city comptroller candidate Bill Thompson.
4. Sheinkopf Communications. $348,000. A longtime fixture in New York politics, Hank Sheinkopf is one of mayoral candidate Mark Green’s top insiders. But Sheinkopf is also working for Gotbaum, Gresser, Thompson, Staten Island beep candidate Jay O’Donovan and two City Council candidates.
5. Global Strategy Group, $304,000. Led by Jeff Plaut, this young and savvy firm is conducting the polling for mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer. Plaut’s firm is also polling for O’Donovan and Queens beep candidate Sheldon Leffler, while advising public-advocate candidate Scott Stringer.