Politics on the Hudson

Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s campaign returned about $110,000 to a casino developer who is part of a group bidding for the state’s thorougbred racing franchise.

The money paid for the costs of a July 18 fund-raiser thrown for Spitzer at the Jackson Hole, Wyo., home of Richard Fields. The money was reimbursed to several Fields-run companies, SG Management, Coastal Development and Coastal Protective Service.

The money was returned because Fields’ companies had exceeded the $50,100 limit on individual donations, according to the Spitzer campaign.

Fields is part of Excelsior Racing Associates, which is one of several outfits vying to take over state-owned tracks at Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct.

During the gubernatorial campaign, Republican John Faso accused Spitzer, a Democrat, of a conflict of interest for taking contributions from Fields, who also represents the Wisconsin Oneida tribe. In 2005, then-Sen. David Paterson—now Spitzer’s lieutenant governor—reimbursed Fields about $4,500 for accepting an airplane ride from Westchester County to Albany from Fields, after originally underpaying for the flight. Fields paid the Lobbying Commission a $9,000 fine.