New York, NY – Citizen Action of New York, one of the leading grassroots, community groups in New York, announced today that they have enthusiastically endorsed Scott M. Stringer in his race to become the next New York City Comptroller.
Citing Scott’s 20-year record of reform and innovation as both a New York State Assemblyman and as Manhattan Borough President, Citizen Action said they would work hard to spread Scott’s message of standing up for working people and ensure his victory on Primary Day and beyond.
“Scott deeply understands the struggles of working people in New York and has a record of integrity and transparency that progressives can be proud of,” said Té Revesz, Chair of the New York City chapter of Citizen Action of New York and member of the State Board.
Citizen Action of New York has been on the front lines of fighting for campaign finance reform in Albany and believes that the state should adopt a system similar to the City’s citizen funded campaign finance program – with its strict spending limits and matching public dollars.
The group noted their deep disappointment in Stringer’s opponent, ex-Governor Eliot Spitzer, who chose to bypass New York City’s model voter funded campaign finance program and instead spend millions of his personal fortune in the election.
“New Yorkers need elected officials who are going to work to end that influence of big money in our political system and we’re particularly disappointed that Eliot Spitzer has turned his back on the public financing system that is so essential to fair elections in New York City since the ex-governor had pledged his support for voter funded elections to Citizen Action when seeking their endorsement in his gubernatorial campaign and presented himself as a champion of Clean Money, Clean Elections during his brief tenure in that office,” added Revesz.
Scott’s credentials as a progressive reformer who gets real results are clear. As Borough President, Scott:
- Led a sweeping reform of Manhattan’s Community Boards, restoring ethics, accountability and performance to these bodies by increasing their diversity, capacity and expertise. He removed the politics from the appointments process, establishing a standardized application process with an independent screening panel which has dramatically boosted the representation of black, Latino, Asian American, LGBT and other historically under-represented communities, as well as the expertise of board members.
- Launched the TranspareNYC initiative to promote greater openness and accountability in the City’s budget process and to give New Yorkers a stronger voice in how government spends their tax dollars. The centerpiece of TranspareNYC is the newly-reformed Community Grants program—which transferred the decision making authority on the Borough President Office’s community grant allocations to independent panels comprised of experts, community members and City Council representatives, thus providing greater accountability in this important process.
- Released a report calling for abolition of the current system for allocating City Council member items. The most comprehensive study of its kind to date, the report revealed deep inequities in the current system over the previous four years and recommending that these taxpayer dollars, totaling $49.6 million in this year’s budget, should be transferred to mayoral agencies for distribution, taking politics out of the process.
As a state Assemblyman, Scott:
- Won passage of a resolution that led the way to end “empty seat voting,” leading 28 of his colleagues to introduce a bill that reformed the Assembly rules for the first time in 30 years, after a scathing national report called the New York State legislature the most dysfunctional in the nation.
- Served as Chair of the Oversight, Analysis and Investigation Committee, probing flaws in the state’s child welfare computer system, New York’s technology procurement practices and the chronic shortage of microscopes in New York City classrooms.
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