Stringer enters mayor race, says he can fix city economy
The city’s top fiscal watchdog, Comptroller Scott Stringer, officially announced he’s running for mayor Tuesday, further solidifying what is becoming a crowded field of City Hall contenders.
Stringer — who mulled a mayoral bid in 2013, but instead ran for his current post against former Gov. Eliot Spitzer — is a veteran politician who has served as Manhattan borough president and as a state assemblyman.
During the last 6½ years, Stringer, 60, has acted as a consistent thorn in Mayor de Blasio’s side, most notably through probes of the city’s handling of lead in public housing, the Administration for Children’s Services and homeless shelters.
“If I’m elected, we’re going to build this city back stronger than ever. That is my promise,” Stringer (inset) said. “Bringing leadership back to City Hall means that we cannot reopen the economy the same way we closed it.”
He announced his run Tuesday morning in Inwood, not far from where he grew up on Bogardus Place in Washington Heights.
After months of social unrest over police brutality against Black people, Stringer, who is white, referred to his privilege more than once during his remarks, but stressed his humble roots in the working-class uptown enclave.
To reopen the city and manage it out of the dire troubles it now faces, he vowed to eliminate waste in city agencies, offer cash assistance to small businesses that have been hurt by COVID-19 and triple permanent housing for the homeless.
The campaign launch included several endorsements intended to boost his bona fides among progressives. Among them were state Sens. Alessandra Biaggi, Jessica Ramos and Julia Salazar and Assemblywoman YuhLine Niou.
Stringer’s declared opponents in the mayor’s race include Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, former federal Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and Loree Sutton, de Blasio’s former veterans services commissioner.
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, city Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia and former de Blasio adviser Maya Wiley are also seriously considering runs. Garcia stepped down from her post on Tuesday to focus on a possible campaign.