* Jarret Murphy, investigations editor at City Limits, writes in The Huffington Post that the $65 million Bloomberg has paid to “needy campaign consultants” is more than the annual budget of 42 New York City agencies (remember Bloomberg cutting the budget of the Public Advocate’s office by 40 percent?) and more than the combined income of 2,000 average New Yorkers: “But sometimes wealth isn’t admirable or noble. Sometimes it isn’t alluring, or impressive, or awe-inspiring or even intimidating. Sometimes wealth is just kind of repellent, even a little sad. Wealth can even be cheap, if it tries hard enough.”

* Tom Robbins points out in The Village Voice that “when you’re on Mike Bloomberg’s pay roll, consistency isn’t your first concern.”

* The City Room has slideshows of Thompson’s and Bloomberg’s campaign advisers.

* The Post reports that Thompson and Bloomberg are fighting over paperwork for a police academy in Queens.

* Elizabeth Benjamin reports that on Sept. 22, the New York County GOP received another $50,000 personal contribution from Mayor Bloomberg.

* MTA Chairman Jay Walder says Bloomberg’s campaign pitch to make some crosstown buses free is nonsense because it’ll take fare revenues away from the MTA, which has already suffered a budget crisis and had to raise fares this year.