But a second FOIA request that asked for the business purposes of the 275 expenses was refused by Reeves.
In the letter, Reeves said he "could see no reason why valuable staff time should be spent responding to the paper's lengthy 32-page questionnaire."
"The information the paper asked for did not exist without extensive research into nearly three years of previous activity," Reeves wrote.
He added that he provided the Chronicle with copies of two letters he had circulated to the press denying any wrongdoing.
"All of my expenditures are valid and in line with the traditional functions of the Mayor's Office," Reeves wrote. "I am not doing anything substantially different from previous Mayors."
The statement provides an explanation for 27 of the expenses. An $82.25 charge made at Mario's Italian Restaurant in Boston on November 24 was unaccounted for.
The charges include numerous catering and refreshment expenses, several dinners and a few gifts given by the city to employees.
The largest expense Reeves incurred in November, according to the statement, was a $299.80 charge for an October 14 reception at Rebecca's Cafe in Boston, for Cambridge elementary-school principals. The smallest was for $32.30 at the Ritz Carlton Boston hotel, made November 7, for a meeting of Men of Color Against AIDS (MOCCA).
Repeating his comment from a city council meeting Monday, Reeves charged the Chronicle with racial bias.
"You disillusion the many citizens of color in this community who are only too used to seeing their public official smeared in the press," he told the Chronicle.
"This is a great City," the mayor concluded. "We deserve a better newspaper."
Despite Reeves' statement, the Cambridge Civic Association (CCA)--the city's leading political group--repeated yesterday its demand for a full investigation of the expenses.
"I think it's time for the city to audit his credit card use," said R. Philip Dowds, CCA president.
Lindstrom said yesterday that the auditor's office had discussed the expenses with the mayor.
"He has assured us that they are legitimate charges," the auditor said.
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