Mayor Bloomberg’s generous gifts and bonuses to city employees and campaign workers has caught the attention of The Times.

Mr. Bloomberg is famous for doling out eye-popping bonuses to staff members on his campaigns, referring sick workers to top doctors, even paying for the large funeral of a City Hall aide. In return, he expects absolute fealty.

But he has never before used his fortune to pay tribute to a current city employee — a gesture that historians said had no precedent in the city government.