Stringer making his announcement for mayor Tuesday. (Image via Scott Stringer Twitter account @scottmstringer)
Sep. 8, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
City Comptroller Scott Stringer has announced that he will run in the Democratic Primary for New York City Mayor in 2021.
The city’s top fiscal watchdog made the announcement Tuesday and offered a vision for the city’s economic recovery–with a focus on riving small businesses, trimming the budget and building affordable housing for the poor.
“If I’m elected, we are going to build this city back stronger than ever,” he said at a press conference at Inwood Hill Park in Upper Manhattan, not far from his childhood home.
Stringer vowed to root out waste in city agencies, offer cash assistance to small businesses that have been hit hard by COVID-19 shutdowns and triple the number of apartments for families experiencing homelessness.
“The measure of our success in recovering from this pandemic cannot be whether the Dow Jones continues to rise and must be, instead, whether we finally build a city for everyone,” Stringer said.
The Washington Heights native said that his personal experiences — from growing up during the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, to the death of his mother in April due to coronavirus — shaped his views about what the city needs in its next mayor.
Stringer, who has clashed with the mayor on several occasions during his tenure as City Comptroller, said he would “bring leadership back to City Hall.” He criticized de Blasio for condoning police violence against protesters this summer and pledged to overhaul how police officers are disciplined.
I’m in. pic.twitter.com/BUf1jFaVOu
— Scott Stringer (@scottmstringer) September 8, 2020
The City Comptroller has had a long career in politics and represented the Upper West Side in the New York State Assembly from 1993 to 2005.
He served as Manhattan Borough President from 2006 to 2013 before being elected to his current role later that year.
Stringer has been endorsed by progressive Queens lawmakers Sen. Jessica Ramos and Assembly Member Catalina Cruz.
Sen. Ramos said that Stringer had proven his skills and deserved to be promoted to mayor while Assembly Member Cruz said that Stringer is an advocate for marginalized communities.
“Scott’s leadership and progressive policies are exactly what this city needs as we rebound from the pandemic,” Cruz said.
Stringer will face off against Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, former federal HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and, former veterans’ services commissioner Loree Sutton.
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, former city Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia and former de Blasio adviser Maya Wiley are also considering runs.
The Democratic Primary for mayor will be held in June 2021.
