DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
In the race for Comptroller, it was again a close vote between the top two candidates, with Citizens Union’s Board issuing a preference for Brian Benjamin and Corey Johnson, in that order, and Brad Lander well behind them in third place. As our City recovers from the economic impacts of the pandemic, the role of the Comptroller takes on added importance. Citizens Union prefers Brian Benjamin because his track record, both in the private sector and as a State Senator, will allow him to effectively serve as the City’s chief fiscal officer. And Citizens Union prefers Corey Johnson because his service as Speaker of the City Council has provided him experience in managing the budget process that has also prepared him for this important position.
Brian Benjamin ★ Preferred Candidate, Ranked 1st
Age: 44
Occupation: New York State Senate, Chair of Budget and Revenue
Education: Brown University (B.A. Public Policy), Harvard University (M.B.A.)
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
Brian Benjamin is a State Senator representing Harlem since 2017. He serves as the Chair of the State Senate’s Budget and Revenue Committee. Prior to that, he was the Chair of Community Board 10. Previously he worked in investment banking and real estate development.
Benjamin wants to use the Comptroller’s office to dramatically increase oversight over the New York Police Department. He promises to prioritize auditing the NYPD, evaluating the fiscal performance of programs, as well their impact on communities. He would hire an Assistant Comptroller for Public Safety who would focus on all public safety related agencies, and their interactions. With the support of two other assistant comptrollers, Benjamin wants to invest more in tracking how the Comptroller’s recommendations are being implemented.
As a fiduciary of the public pension funds, Benjamin would continue Comptroller Stringer’s work on reducing redundancies and costs associated with the different funds, but he would also work with each fund individually to develop an investment strategy that will maximize its returns. To improve returns further, he says he can attract top level investment managers who want to give back to New York City.
Benjamin’s financial background makes him qualified to achieve these goals. He worked as an investment advisor at Morgan Stanley, and he currently serves as a Trustee at Brown University. He was also a top executive at the Harlem-focused development firm Genesis Companies.
Benjamin’s financial background, relevant experience in the private sector, and constructive service as a State Senator are the reasons why Citizens Union prefers him in this race.
Corey Johnson ★ Preferred Candidate, Ranked 2nd
Age: 39
Occupation: New York City Council Speaker
Education: Masconomet Regional High School
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
Corey Johnson is the New York City Council Speaker, and has represented Chelsea and the west side of Manhattan in the Council since 2014. Citizens Union supported him in his 2013 bid for City Council.
Under his leadership, the CIty Council has passed substantial reforms on election and voting, campaign finance, police accountability, and other good government issues. He was a major force behind the 2019 Charter Revision Commission which led to the introduction of Ranked Choice Voting, and the recent expansion of the city’s campaign matching funds program. He has also put his weight behind important measures that strengthened oversight of the police department. His proposal for a comprehensive city planning reform is a testament to his coherent vision for the future needs of New York.
Over the public career, Johnson has shown leadership, offering New Yorkers words of encouragement and important updates in times of crisis. He was originally running for Mayor, but dropped out of that race last summer. He later announced he would seek to become Comptroller in March.
Johnson says he will be a watchdog for Covid-19 relief funds, making sure the billions of dollars received from the federal government are spent wisely and effectively. To achieve that, he plans to create a new recovery and rebuilding unit that will monitor spending, and make the information public. He also cites the need for more frequent audits for key agencies to address affordable housing and reducing policing costs and misconduct.
Johnson’s service as Speaker of the City Council and relevant experience in managing the budget process are the reasons why Citizens Union prefers him in this race.
Brad Lander ★ Preferred Candidate, Ranked 3rd
Age: 51
Occupation: New York City Council Member of the 39th District
Education: University of Chicago (B.A.), University College London (Master’s in social anthropology), Pratt Institute (Master’s in city planning)
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
Brad Lander has served as a New York City Council Member since 2010, representing Park Slope and the surrounding area in Brooklyn. He is the Council’s Deputy Leader for Policy, and a co-founder of its Progressive Caucus. Before his election to the Council, he was an Executive Director of the Fifth Avenue Committee and a director of the Pratt Center for Neighborhood Development. Citizens Union supported his election for City Council when he first ran for office.
As a Council Member, Lander played an important role in passing several good government reforms. He chaired the Rules Committee when the Council overhauled its rules to ensure greater equity in the allocation of discretionary funding and to ban outside income. And he was one of the lead sponsors of the legislation that created the Office of the NYPD Inspector General (OIG-NYPD).
Lander offers a detailed plan for the office of comptroller, combined in his broader vision for the city. He wants to be a budget watchdog to ensure thoughtful spending of the funds coming into the city from the federal American Rescue Plan, and he would create a spending tracker to provide clear goals and measure progress. To protect pension funds from long term risks, he proposes incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing into a multi year strategic plan for responsible fiduciary investing. To improve auditing, he wants to use data analytics to identify areas that need deeper audits.
While Lander ranked below the top two candidates in Citizens Union’s ranked choice vote, he earned a third place preference for offering a unique perspective on what the Comptroller can do for the City.
Michelle Caruso-Cabrera
Age: 54
Occupation: Journalist, author
Education: Wellesley College (B.S. Economics)
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
Michelle Caruso-Cabrera is a former reporter and anchor with CNBC. She won multiple awards in her journalism career and often focused on economics. She authored a popular 2010 book that called to significantly reduce the size of government, including the elimination of government pension plans like Social Security. She first ran for an elected office last year when she challenged Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic Primary.
Caruso-Cabrera says her background as an investigative journalist prepares her to conduct high-quality audits. She would begin by auditing Health and Hospitals and the NYPD. Early in her term, she would also focus on examining delayed procurement payments to nonprofits, a common practice by City agencies. As an outsider to politics, she says she can bring a truly independent voice to the Comptroller office.
Citizens Union believes Caruso-Cabrera brings a commitment to independence and an interesting perspective to the office.
Zach Iscol
Age: 43
Occupation: Entrepreneur/Nonprofit Executive
Education: Cornell University (B.A. government)
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
Zach Iscol was a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served in Iraq and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for bravery in combat in the Second Battle of Fallujah. An entrepreneur, after he returned from service he founded several nonprofits and companies, including one that provides veterans and their families with free mental health care and another that offers a hiring platform for former military service members. This is Iscol’s first run for office, although he first sought the mayor’s position before shifting to the comptroller race.
He wants to ensure a quick and equitable economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. As Comptroller, he would use seed funds for small businesses in the hardest hit sectors, like restaurants, theaters, and the arts. To improve auditing, he would introduce a grade initiative that ranks every agency from A-F based on government waste levels. Iscol would also stress fiscal responsibility. He thinks the Comptroller can do much more to find savings in the City’s large budget, and he promises to focus his office on that task.
Citizens Union is impressed by Iscol’s years of public service and leadership skills.
Terri Liftin
Age: 52
Occupation: Attorney
Education: Barnard College (A.B. Economics), New York University (M.A. Economics), Brooklyn Law School (J.D.)
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
Terri Liftin is a chief compliance officer at a private investment firm that deals in commercial real estate debt and equity investments. She has served as a counsel and compliance officer throughout her career. She believes this unique background in finance and law makes her the most qualified candidate to be a Comptroller. Liftin would increase the rates of audits, including surprise audits. As a pension fund fiduciary, she wants to reform the way investment managers and mandates are selected. She would seek to streamline the process and bring more control to the investment teams inside the Comptroller’s office, and would remove screening based on priorities like divestment, instead prioritizing return on investments.
Alex Pan
Age: 18
Occupation: Student at Denison University
Education: Current undergraduate student
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
Alex Pan is the youngest person ever to be in the race for Comptroller, let alone make a citywide ballot in the city. Pan is from New York, but is currently based in Ohio, where he goes to college. Some of his plans are to reduce the budget of the NYPD and to reinvest that money into mental health services, community based trusted messengers, and restorative justice programs. He also seeks to desegregate the education system and give power to schools, students, and parents.
Reshma Patel
Age: N/A
Occupation: Investment banker, public finance advisor
Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S.)
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
Reshma Patel has an extensive background in public finance and investments, including serving as an advisor to the New York City Comptroller’s office for eight years. Although this is Patel’s first run for office, she is not new to local politics. She serves as the President of the Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club, a Co-Chair of the Chhaya Community Development Corporation, and sits on her local community board. Patel brings impressive experience to the office, having worked at Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and Barclays, and a deep understanding of the job. She wants to use that background to help New York recover from the pandemic, with a particular focus on generating job growth and budgetary savings. To help support small businesses and nonprofits, she would create a new streamlined process for procurement.
David Weprin
Age: 65
Occupation: State Assembly Member
Education: SUNY Albany (B.A. political science), Hofstra Law School (J.D.)
To read this candidate’s responses to CU’s questionnaire, click here.
David Weprin is a five-term state Assembly Member representing the 24th district in Queens. Prior to the Assembly, he sat on the City Council for eight years, where he served as chair of the Finance Committee. He was the Deputy Superintendent of Banks and the Secretary of the New York State Banking Board under Governor Mario Cuomo. Citizens Union supported him in his Council elections, and did not have a chance to evaluate his Assembly races. He ran for Comptroller before.
Weprin points to his successes as a City Council Member in securing $2.5 billion during the 2008 financial crisis, for future retirees to ensure they have access to healthcare. He also stresses his background in public and private finance, and his familiarity with the inner workings of Wall Street. His plans are focused on small businesses, green policies, and affordable living for seniors. Weprin plans to institute a Red-Tape Reduction Commission to eliminate fees, fines, and regulations that harm local small businesses. Furthermore, he plans to ensure the City of New York pension portfolio invests in stocks that have “green” practices and promote environmental justice. He further plans to create affordable housing for seniors so that they need not worry about being able to afford housing, medication, and food. Citizens Union appreciates his long history of effective service in New York.
Kevin Parker
This candidate was not available for an interview