City Comptroller candidate profiles

Eliot Spitzer: Former Governor Eliot Spitzer is running for comptroller because he believes the office provides an opportunity for public service and oversight of the city’s fiscal condition, two things he said he has extensive experience with.

Spitzer said that he believes the skills he obtained by being governor and the issues he confronted over the market crash make him fit for the job.

“When I saw the opportunity provided by the comptroller’s office to invest pension funds more effectively and to make sure the budget is spent wisely on health care, I thought I would offer opportunities to serve and be useful,” Spitzer contended.

If elected, Spitzer said that he would “invest in pension funds so we can return to those who are owed a pension.” He added that he would “use the pension fund to simultaneously invest in the city’s education and housing needs that are unmet.

“If we invest in those needs, we will permit the middle class to survive in New York,” Sptizer went on. “I know how to do that.”

Spitzer said that he would make sure that the “critical dollars” in the city’s budget are spent “effectively,” going to reduce class sizes in city schools and provide a universal Pre-K program.

“We have to study these issues to see who we can do better,” Spitzer said. “A comptroller can do that by asking the right questions and making sure that we get the outcomes that city residents need.”

Eliot Spitzer spoke with this paper over the phone

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Scott Stringer: Born and raised in Washington Heights, Scott Stringer, currently Manhattan borough president, graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. In 1992, he was elected to the New York State Assembly, representing Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

In 2006, he became Manhattan borough president, from which position he has raised concerns about issues ranging from government waste and mismanagement to creating economic opportunity for New York’s middle class.

Stringer has also worked hard for equal rights and opportunities for all New Yorkers. He was one of the first co-sponsors of a 1995 bill to provide marriage equality, he passed landmark legislation protecting victims of domestic violence and helped establish a Manhattan Family Justice Center. Stringer’s Bank On program helped more than 12,000 “unbanked” people in Manhattan sign up for bank accounts and participate in the city’s economy.

According to Stringer, in order for our economy to grow, the city must have a five-borough transportation plan to connect residents to developing jobs and housing centers. He has promoted the integrity and professionalism of the pension fund and has worked to create more comprehensive risk assessment and management and further diversify pension investments to ensure the fund’s long term sustainability.