Or Maybe The Office Of Public Advocate Is Just Lame

The first six months of Betsy Gotbaum’s second term were a whirlwind of private lunches, dinners and strategy meetings with precious few government initiatives to show for it, a Post review of her schedules found.

From Jan. 1 through June 30, she attended several political fund-raisers and social events, held sit-downs with advocates for social issues and saw several City Hall commissioners.

During that time, she released just three reports, a policy brief and two guides, drafted seven bills — and held only a handful of public events to support them.

Instead of the outraged press conferences her predecessor, Mark Green, held almost every weekend — and on many weekdays — her Saturdays and Sundays were mostly personal.

They included a June trip to education expert Diane Ravitch’s Hamptons home, for which Gotbaum used her city-funded car and driver. She took the Jitney back.

Aides to Gotbaum, who used the car to pick up her grandson at the airport last week, said she pays back the office “as required,” but couldn’t provide a reimbursement list, saying the staffers who handle it were off.

In 2002, Gotbaum complained her office was so strapped that she couldn’t do much, but it’s now back to pre-2002 levels, with a $2.99 million budget for fiscal year 2007 and 43 staffers.

The $150,000-a-year ombudsman post has little power, but is seen as a stepping stone for higher office. Gotbaum, 68, who raised eyebrows by staying mum during the recent Queens blackout, is considering a run for either mayor or city comptroller, sources said.

See also: The Office of City “Shusher” (July 6, 2005).