FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Max Schulman, 347-861-4167
In Democratic Primary for City Comptroller, Citizens Union Prefers Justin Brannan First and Mark Levine Second
To view Citizens Union’s Voters Guide, click here
New York, N.Y. (June 3, 2025) – Today, Citizens Union announced its candidate preferences in the Democratic primary races for Mayor and City Comptroller under New York City’s ranked choice voting system. After undertaking a rigorous evaluation process of seven Democratic candidates for Mayor, Citizens Union issued a preferred slate of candidates: Andrew Cuomo, Brad Lander, and Zellnor Myrie. In the race for Comptroller, Citizens Union prefers Justin Brannan as its first choice and Mark Levine as its second choice.
After debating the mayor’s race at length, the Citizens Union Board of Directors concluded that, in this unusual election, the best service to voters was to provide a clear, nuanced view of the primary contest and back a slate of three candidates. Cuomo, Lander, and Myrie each represent a distinct style of leadership and offer voters a choice: executive experience, policy know-how, and a new generation of reform.
“New York City is facing a crisis of confidence in City Hall. At the same time, the City faces a federal administration hostile to our independence and significant challenges around affordability, fiscal stability and quality of life. New York needs a mayor who can meet this moment: manage competently, restore trust damaged by corruption scandals, remain independent and reform-minded, attract top talent back to public service, and offer principled leadership,” said Citizens Union Executive Director Grace Rauh. “In this extraordinary moment for our city, Citizens Union has chosen to prefer a slate of three mayoral candidates: Andrew Cuomo, Brad Lander and Zellnor Myrie.”
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo brings unmatched executive experience and a proven ability to push big projects across the finish line—assets the city badly needs right now. Yet, his decade as governor left serious ethical stains and he too often misused the power whose deployment he so skillfully mastered.
City Comptroller Brad Lander has spent his career in government fighting for transparency and reform, focusing on detailed policy solutions. He would raise ethical standards at City Hall, but must prove he can inspire and lead a city navigating rough waters.
State Senator Zellnor Myrie represents the next generation of reform, having steered through the state’s most sweeping election overhaul in decades. Running City Government is a far larger task, but he has put forward thoughtful policy proposals and has earned a chance to show his leadership at City Hall.
“For over a century, Citizens Union has been fighting for reform and offering New Yorkers thorough, thoughtful and non-partisan assessments of candidates. We are proud to continue that tradition with our preferences in the Democratic primary for this consequential election. We encourage New Yorkers to closely review the full write-ups of the candidates in our preferred slate,” said Citizens Union Board Chairman John Avlon. “New Yorkers are not limited to choosing just one candidate — they can, and should, rank up to five candidates — and as they do that, we urge them to keep in mind the long term strength and stability of New York.”
Citizens Union interviewed seven candidates in the Democratic primary for mayor. Our detailed recommendations and video recordings of the interviews are available here. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams submitted a questionnaire but was not available for an interview. State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani did not submit a questionnaire.
In the race for Comptroller, Citizens Union prefers City Council Finance Chair Justin Brannan first and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine second, although the organization noted that both are well-prepared to steward the city’s finances.
“Voters have a choice between two highly-qualified candidates in the race for Comptroller. Brannan brings impressive policy chops as the outgoing Chair of the Council Finance Committee, and Levine has proven that he is a public servant with intelligence and integrity in his time as a Councilmember and Borough President. Citizens Union prefers Brannan first for his detailed vision and strong alignment with Citizens Union’s priority issues,” said Executive Director Grace Rauh.
Support for Citizens Union’s reform agenda and the ability to implement it are the primary criteria used in deciding whether to support a candidate. Other criteria considered in evaluating candidates and campaigns:
- A record of ethical integrity;
- Commitment and ability to advance CU’s goals, if elected;
- For incumbents: demonstrated support for CU’s issues while in office;
- Evidence of ability to wage an effective and competitive campaign;
- Reliance on small-donor, local financing of the campaign;
- Candidates’ grasp of issues specific to the race’s jurisdiction, and whether they propose thoughtful solutions to represent constituents’ interests.
Last week, Citizens Union issued preferences for Manhattan Borough President, and in 12 City Council races. Please see the full rundown of Citizens Union’s preferences below:
Mayor (unranked preferences)
- Andrew Cuomo
- Brad Lander
- Zellnor Myrie
Comptroller
- Justin Brannan
- Mark Levine
Manhattan Borough President
- Keith Powers
- Brad Hoylman-Sigal
City Council District 2 (Manhattan- Greenwich Village, Lower East Side, East Village, Midtown South-Flatiron-Union Square, Gramercy, Murray Hill-Kips Bay)
- Harvey Epstein
- Sarah Batchu
- Andrea Gordillo
City Council District 4 (Manhattan- Midtown South-NoMad, Midtown-Times Square, Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village, Murray Hill-Kips Bay, East Midtown-Turtle Bay, United Nations, Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill)
- Vanessa Aronson
- Ben Wetzler
- Virginia Maloney
- Faith Bondy
- Rachel Storch
City Council District 5 (Manhattan- East Midtown-Turtle Bay, United Nations, Upper East Side-Lenox Hill-Roosevelt Island, Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill, Upper East Side-Yorkville)
- Julie Menin
City Council District 8 (Manhattan/The Bronx – Mott Haven-Port Morris, Melrose, Concourse-Concourse Village, Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill, Upper East Side-Yorkville, East Harlem (South), East Harlem (North), Randall’s Island)
- Elsie Encarnacion
- Wilfredo Lopez
- Clarisa Alayeto
City Council District 14 (The Bronx- University Heights South-Morris Heights, Fordham Heights, University Heights-North Fordham, Morris Heights, Kingsbridge Heights-Van Cortlandt Village, Kingsbridge-Marble Hill, Mount Hope, Bedford Park)
- Pierina Sanchez
- Bryan Hodge Vasquez
City Council District 17 (Queens- Crotona Park East, Melrose, Hunts Point, Concourse, East Tremont, Morrisania, Longwood, Port Morris, West Farms)
- Justin Sanchez
- Antirson Ortiz
- Elvis Santana
City Council District 21 (Queens- Astoria (North)-Ditmars-Steinway, Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst, North Corona, Elmhurst, Corona, Rego Park, Flushing-Willets Point, LaGuardia Airport, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park)
- Erycka Montoya
City Council District 28 (Queens- Richmond Hill, Jamaica, South Ozone Park, Rochdale Village)
- Tyrell Hankerson
- Japneet Singh
- Romeo Hitlall
City Council District 30 (Queens- Ridgewood, Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale, Woodhaven, Woodside)
- Dermot Smyth
- Paul Pogozelski
City Council District 38 (Brooklyn- Sunset Park, Red Hook, Greenwood Heights, Windsor Terrace, Dyker Heights, Borough Park, Park Slope, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach)
- Alexa Avilés
City Council District 39 (Brooklyn- Kensington, Borough Park, Windsor Terrace, Park Slope, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Columbia Waterfront)
- Maya Kornberg
City Council District 51 (Staten Island- Todt Hill-Emerson Hill-Lighthouse Hill-Manor Heights, New Springville-WillowbrookBulls Head-Travis, Fresh Kills Park, Oakwood-Richmondtown, Great Kills-Eltingville, Arden HeightsRossville, Annadale-Huguenot-Prince’s Bay-Woodrow, Tottenville-Charleston, Freshkills Park, Great Kills Park)
- Frank Morano
About Citizens Union
For more than a century, Citizens Union has been leading the fight for reform in New York. We are a non-partisan good government group that serves as a civic watchdog to combat corruption. We are New Yorkers from diverse backgrounds and political beliefs, united in our commitment to put the public interest ahead of all special interests. We work to ensure honest and accountable government, fair and open elections, and a civically engaged public. Principled and pragmatic, Citizens Union is an independent force for constructive reform, driving policy solutions to achieve responsible and responsive government in the City and State of New York.
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