The Democratic Comptroller Candidates - The Frontrunners

The winner will potentially control our pensions...

Tomorrow is Primary Day. While the Democratic mayoral primary has drawn everyone’s attention, the Democratic primary for comptroller has flown relatively under the radar. The NYC comptroller serves as the financial watchdog for New York City. The comptroller oversees our pension funds and contracts and audits city agencies. As such, we should be paying very close attention to this race. This piece outlining the two Democratic frontrunners will attempt to sort out who would be most beneficial for our union and our public schools. To be honest, Justin Brannan and Mark Levine have a lot of similar views, so this won’t be as cut and dry as the mayoral candidates, who differ greatly from each other. Any policies and rhetoric that do not impact public education or public educators directly will be ignored. This is solely about the comptroller candidates’ potential impact on public schools, the UFT, and our pensions.

Justin Brannan

Justin Brannan, the tough talking Brooklynite, is a slight underdog to Mark Levine, according to most polling sites. As mentioned above, Brannan and Levine do not differ on many issues, so Brannan is going to have to figure out how to ingratiate himself to the nearly 50 percent of voters who are still undecided in his bid for comptroller. Below are some of Brannan’s positions.

On the $40 billion budget for public schools: When it comes to the budget, Brannan says it’s not about cutting spending, but auditing to reprioritize where money is getting spent. According to Brannan, too much money is being spent on “educrats and outside consultants, particularly IT consultants who are fleecing the city.” 

On Medicare Advantage for retired city employees: Brannan has referred to Medicare Advantage as a scam, claiming it is “a step away from the privatization of healthcare.” Brannan believes retirees should have whatever healthcare plan they signed up for on the first day they started working. According to Brannan, “the city of New York should not be balancing its budget on the backs of retirees.” Brannan is a sponsor of Intro 1096, which effectively blocks Medicare Advantage. During the comptroller debate, when Levine criticized Brannan for just recently signing on to Intro 1096, Brannan asked why Levine never signed on.

On pensions: Brannan plans on divesting NYC pensions from Tesla because he feels Elon Musk’s company is too unstable due to Musk's "erratic behavior." Brannan has also stated his intent to invest resources and money in small businesses and underserved communities in New York City.

Other issues: Brannan helped with the rollout of universal pre-K under de Blasio during his stint as Chief of Staff for Councilman Vinnie Gentile.

Mark Levine

Mark Levine, the current Borough President of Manhattan and former Bronx math and science teacher, sees eye-to-eye with Brannan on many issues. Levine currently holds a decent, but not insurmountable lead in most recent polls and is being endorsed by the UFT. Below are some of Levine’s positions.

On the $40 billion budget for public schools: Levine proclaims that hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on outside consultants. According to Levine, this is “money that should be directed to classrooms, students, and teachers.” At the comptroller debate, Levine also acknowledged that teachers pay out of pocket for supplies, implying that at least some of the money being spent on outside consultants should be redirected towards teachers. One of Levine’s top goals would be to “rein in outside contracts and use the money where it’s needed.”

On Medicare Advantage for retired city employees: Levine plans to look into it. Levine says he will “consult with retirees, current workers, and labor leaders.” Levine also believes that “retirees should have outstanding healthcare and continue to have plans with zero premiums,” but he has not signed on to sponsor Intro 1096. Also, phrases such as “outstanding healthcare” and “zero premiums” sound good but are ultimately vague and wishy-washy. Someone can have zero premiums but still come out of pocket by way of massive copays and deductibles. 

On pensions: Levine plans on "divesting NYC pension funds from fossil fuels" and investing in renewable energy. Levine also wants to use NYC pension funds to build affordable housing.

Other issues: Levine plans to "protect our school budgets from Trump's agenda of cruelty and mayhem." 

As you can see, there is tremendous overlap between both candidates. They both claim they will battle Trump tooth and nail on his proposed cuts. They both want to invest our pension funds in affordable housing, struggling communities, and eco-friendly ways that involve different forms of divestment. Brannan and Levine both acknowledge the ridiculous amount of consultants in the public education system, draining money from schools, students, and teachers. However, there are some differences if you look close enough. Hopefully this brief summary helps to clarify things before tomorrow’s primary.

It should also be noted that there are two other candidates running in the Democratic primary - NYS Senator Kevin Parker and Ismael Malave Perez, who works at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services - but neither are expected to have any chance against Brannan and Levine. Additionally, there is also a primary between Danniel Maio and Peter Kefalas, both vying for the Republican nomination for comptroller, however, neither candidate is moving the needle, nor are they expected to make a serious run in November.