Six leading candidates running in the Democratic primary for New York City Comptroller in the June election appeared at a forum on Tuesday to offer their perspectives on the role of the office, solutions to the city’s uncertain fiscal future, and how they would wield their powers to ensure city government is effective and fiscally responsible.
The candidates at the forum, hosted by Citizens Budget Commission, a nonprofit fiscal watchdog group, included Brooklyn City Council Member Brad Lander, military veteran and entrepreneur Zach Iscol, Manhattan State Senator Brian Benjamin, financial journalist Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and Queens Assemblymember David Weprin. The candidates, selected by CBC from about 10 who will be on the ballot, seemingly based on their fundraising and polling, sought to tout their credentials and set their campaigns apart with just six weeks till the primary, which will be run with ranked-choice voting for the first time
and there was stress to force the banks to raise the capital lending. then there was the action even when the industry today still doesn t support the financial reform. were there problems throughout all of that? sure. did we get it exactly right? no. but you look at where the united states financial industry is today versus what s going on in europe where they didn t deal with it, we re night and day. number one. number two, and that took political leadership, even when it was not popular. and second, when the industry needed that type of help, the america came to it help and assisted it to get stable. can you if you go around the neighborhoods of chicago, you go around anywhere in the country, goo peoria, there is stress on people s lives. they, too, need help. not a bailout. but a chance to get the economy moving for them. and that s an understandable sense of frustration on their part. and it s not just limited to the wall street. go in europe. go in asia. go other places.
when the financial industry or the financial sector was on its knees, it s not popular, but the whole country rallied under president bush s leadership for a $700 billion-plus t.a.r.p., which is financing that was needed. then there was a stress test, and there was stress to force the banks to raise the capital lending. then there was the action even when the industry today still doesn t support the financial reform. were there problems throughout all of that? sure. did we get it exactly right? no. but you look at where the united states financial industry is today versus what s going on in europe where they didn t deal with it, we re night and day. number one. number two, and that took political leadership, even when it was not popular. and second, when the industry needed that type of help, the america came to it, helped, and assisted it to get stable. can you if you go around the neighborhoods of chicago, you go around anywhere in the country, go to peoria, there is stress on
the banks to raise the capital lending. then there was the action even when the industry today still doesn t support the financial reform. were there problems throughout all of that? sure. did we get it exactly right? no. but you look at where the united states financial industry is today versus what s going on in europe where they didn t deal with it, we re night and day. number one. number two, and that took political leadership, even when it was not popular. and second, when the industry needed that type of help, the america came to it help and assisted it to get stable. can you if you go around the neighborhoods of chicago, you go around anywhere in the country, goo peoria, there is stress on people s lives. they, too, need help. not a bailout. but a chance to get the economy moving for them. and that s an understandable sense of frustration on their part. and it s not just limited to the wall street. go in europe. go in asia. go other places. there is a major restructuring going