Veteran politician Scott Stringer explains plans to make NYC more affordable if elected mayor
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Brad Lander's predecessor, former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, is in the race for mayor.
Stringer is 65 years old and was New York City's comptroller from 2014 to 2021.
Before that, he was the former Manhattan Borough President.
He's long been a familiar face in New York state and city government.
But when you pull back the veil on the veteran politician, you'll find that being in politics is not just Stringer's job.
It runs deep in his blood, way back to the 60s.
"Think about that time period. It was the war in Vietnam, it was the protests at that time, it was a real moment to be involved in government politics. People believed that we could do anything and I grew up with that," Stringer said.
Stringer lives in the Financial District but grew up in Washington Heights with trailblazing congresswoman Bella Abzug as his cousin, who was considered one of the most influential female voices of the 20th century.
"I was the kid who followed her around, giving out campaign literature, and it stayed with me my entire life. Everything I wanted to do had to do with public service," Stringer said.
That passion took Stringer to Albany as a State Assemblyman for 13 years.
After serving as Manhattan Borough President, he was then elected as City Comptroller, the city's chief financial officer.
"I've done some of the biggest things a Comptroller has ever done. I divested from fossil fuels, I divested from gun manufacturers How do you get this all done? Well, you better know what you're doing. And if you don't know the buck, then you don't know the job. And as comptroller, I know this buck inside and out," Stringer said.
Knowing 'the buck' is how Stringer plans to make the city more affordable if elected mayor.
He is proposing that families split the cost of child care with the city and their employer.
Stringer was asked, "And you're confident you'd be able to get business across the board on board with this?"
"There's nothing more important to the business community than their workforce," Stringer said.
There's nothing more important to Stringer than being a dad and perhaps taking that same approach in government.
"We need someone who is grounded. Someone who is the adult in the room," Stringer said.
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