Brian's Vision
Brian Benjamin is running for Comptroller with two goals in mind - to use the powers of the office to create important change that benefits all New Yorkers, and to maximize the pension returns for New York's retirees. To that end, Brian's guiding principles as Comptroller are as follows:
Dramatically increase oversight of the NYPD and other city agencies
The Comptroller has the power to audit and investigate any spending of city resources. Brian will use this tool to effectively hold the Mayor and City Council accountable, starting with an audit of the NYPD budget as soon as he assumes office.
By maximizing oversight of agencies like the NYPD, NYCHA, the MTA, and the Department of Education, Brian will reveal budgetary investments that do not reflect our values and shine a light on waste and mismanagement that is harming New Yorkers.
Protect retiree pensions
Brian is the only candidate in this race with relevant investment management experience, and he is concerned about the state of the pension fund. Last year the fund did not reach its required return of seven percent, meaning that hundreds of millions of dollars must be transferred to the fund that could have gone to other important priorities. Managing a pension system valued at over $229 billion is central to the job, and Brian is well-prepared to step up to this task on day one.
Target investment to create affordable housing
Two percent of the pension fund is supposed to be invested in economically targeted investments (ETI). As Comptroller, Brian will roll out a plan to invest in developing new income targeted affordable housing projects as well as permanent supportive housing to shift resources from temporary shelters for the homeless. Brian knows how to achieve this goal because he helped finance the construction and rehabilitation of over 1,000 units of environmentally sustainable affordable housing, which included housing for the homeless, before being elected Senator.
Invest our money in our values
As State Senator, Brian successfully fought to divest New York’s public pension funds from private prisons. As Comptroller, Brian will direct New York City investments into the kinds of companies that are leading us into a better future–such as those focused on renewable energy sources and investing in companies that create real affordable housing; including for the ever-increasing homeless population.
To facilitate this investing power, Brian is proposing that New York City create a Public Bank. In addition to fighting to lower the number of unbanked and underbanked New Yorkers and contracting with M/WBEs, this Bank could undertake lending programs that private banks are less interested in undertaking, such as a worker cooperatives, capital to build units of lower-income and senior affordable housing, and mortgages to new homeowners.
Endorsements
News
Incensed religious leaders and elected officials in Harlem said they would seek to open lines of communication with NYPD ....
HARLEM, NY — Amid a spate of attacks against Asian New Yorkers that have rattled the city, Harlem leaders rallied around ....
HARLEM, NY — A majority-Black army regiment based in Harlem whose soldiers won plaudits for their bravery overseas during ....
New York City is one of the most racially diverse cities in the world – it’s what makes our city incomparable to all others ....
With the legalization of marijuana bill language finalized city electeds and advocates wait with bated breaths for the expect ....
The United States has made some progress in reducing the shockingly large share of the population that lives behind bars ....
THOSE AGE 50+ CAN NOW GET VAXED: Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Monday that as of Tuesday, March 23, New ....
As far as elected office goes, city comptroller is far from being the most glamorous. But with the city in a precarious ....
As of Monday, New York City is exactly three months out from the June 22 mayoral primary, with early voting even closer ....
As the coronavirus ravaged New York City, it quickly became apparent that its effects were being felt disparately across the ....
ALBANY — Shawn Dunn, 57, was paroled in 2017 after five years in prison and has been trying to rebuild his life ever since ....
State Sen. Brian Benjamin (D-Manhattan) is running to be our next NYC Comptroller, taking over for term-limited Scott ....
New York State Senator and New York City Comptroller Candidate Brian Benjamin said he was inspired by Black Lives Matter and ....
SPECIAL ELECTION: CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 31: A special election was held on Tuesday, February 23 for the District 31 ....
Andrew Yang talked traffic on Staten Island. Kathryn Garcia called for letting bars and restaurants use more public space ....
UPPER MANHATTAN, NY — The full swing of the 2021 New York City election cycle is almost upon us, and a prominent democratic ....
George Floyd didn’t live to see Kamala Harris become vice president. Nor was he alive to see an investigation into Breonna ....
State Sen. Brian Benjamin received the endorsement of the Bronx County Democratic Party on Thursday, Feb. 24, in his bid to ....
NEW YORK - The influential Dominican-born congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) announced his support for state senator ....
The year 2020 was the year of cultural reckoning in our city. The memory of streets filled with passionate New Yorkers ....
State Senator Brian Benjamin (D-Manhattan) is increasingly showing how his Harlem district and the Bronx is back in the house ....
Brian Benjamin, a Democratic State Senator representing parts of Manhattan, joined the show to discuss his campaign for ....
A bill sponsored by Sen. Brian Benjamin (D-Harlem), who is mounting a bid for city comptroller next year, would require ....
Historically, fighting inflation has been the signature policy of the Federal Reserve. But at the end of August, they ....
(HARLEM, NY) Today, State Senator Brian A. Benjamin announced his campaign for New York City Comptroller has raised $195,386 ....
The May 25 death of George Floyd – a Minneapolis man who suffocated with a policeman’s knee on his neck – has mobilized the ....
Digital Media Solutions (DMS), alongside the office of New York State Sen. Brian A. Benjamin and the First Corinthian Baptist ....
Protests Flare While the President Calls for Violence; State Sen. Brian Benjamin; Ask the Mayor; Dating in the Pandemic ....
State Senator Brian Benjamin joined the show to discuss the New York State and City fiscal crises brought about by the COVID ....
Three days after a woman angrily confronted a man in Central Park and then called police claiming “there’s an African America ....
Brian Benjamin is introducing the bill in the wake of viral video of a white woman calling the cops on a black man in Central ....
Democratic New York City Comptroller candidate Brian Benjamin has raised more than $260,000 in the last three ....
Democratic New York City Comptroller candidate Brian Benjamin has raised more than $260,000 in the last three ....
ALBANY — State Sen. Brian Benjamin is setting his sights on the city comptroller’s office. The Harlem ....
The 2021 primary for New York City Comptroller may be 21 months away, but there are already three declared Democratic ....
