Taxpayers Won’t Pay for Bed, Dinkins Says

Mayor David N. Dinkins promised Monday that his head will not rest at taxpayer expense, whatever the final price tag on a bed that a magazine said is going to cost $11,500.

Newsweek noted that the bed’s arrival at the mayor’s official residence coincided with municipal money woes that led Dinkins to freeze hiring, propose new taxes and talk about 15,000 layoffs.

If it costs what Newsweek said, that “will all be covered by private donations from friends of the city, many of whom have contacted me this morning to offer their contributions,” the mayor said in a statement issued by his press secretary, Albert Scardino.