FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com FEBRUARY 13, 2014 • THE QUEENS COURIER 15 politics Comptroller sits down with Courier BY MAGGIE HAYES [email protected] City Comptroller Scott Stringer sat down with The Queens Courier to “We hit the ground running,” he said. “It’s getting out and listening to what people say. If you want to do audits and identify people and agencies, you talk to people in the streets and get a very good idea.” Stringer oversees the city’s $150 billion pension fund and also registers an average of 22,000 city contracts from every business -- from technology to day care to public housing. For the start of his term, he has already audited public housing, as well as the three separate public library systems. He is a supporter of raising the minimum wage to $11 to accommodate the city’s price of living, and also an advocate for establishing a guaranteed revenue stream for a universal pre-kindergarten. He believes in advancing public schools, namely in technology, to give students a fi ghting chance at a successful future. Stringer has also made some changes internally intended to improve the effi cacy of the comptroller’s offi ce. He has proposed to ban placement agents, the “middle men” who have been involved in various past scandals, and brought in risk management professionals. “I can’t audit an agency unless my own house is in order,” he said. With The Courier, Stringer covered boroughcentric topics and expanded on how he plans to keep Queens, and the whole city, afl oat fi nancially. “Nobody knows this city better than me,” he said. What is your political background? “Well, I haven’t told anyone this, but the fi rst thing I wanted to be was a pro quarterback with the New York Jets. Then I realized early on, by the age of 12, I was a little washed up,” Stringer quipped. Stringer’s family had a foot in the political door when his mother ran for City Council. Growing up in Washington Heights, he thought “everyone was involved in government or politics.” “I’m doing exactly what I always wanted to do,” he said. “The job of comptroller has never been more important than with this new government. I have the opportunity to work on issues I really care about.” Stinger said the city’s economic issues are “really about civil rights and about moving everybody to where they have to be.” “The challenge we face in the city is how do we bring everybody along economically,” he said. The MTA has suspended No. 7-train service from Long Island City to Flushing for numerous weekends. What economic impact for local businesses do you foresee? “When you have a large transportation project that in the long run will modernize the system, that’s something that’s goal-worthy,” Stringer said. “But when you don’t plan the reconstruction with the community, when you don’t partner with the businesses, you end up sacrifi cing people.” “You’re sacrificing people in the name of progress, you can’t do it that way,” he said. As comptroller, Stringer said he can “follow the money,” and make sure it is “being spent wisely.” Additionally, he wants to “elevate this offi ce so New Yorkers know when they want to bring an issue to my attention, they know what this offi ce can do and what we’re going to do.” How do you plan on monitoring the city’s Build it Back program for Sandy victims, as well as the $15 billion the city is set to receive in federal recovery During Stringer’s campaign, he proposed creating a Sandy Audit Bureau, designed specifi cally to watch every dollar designated for storm recovery. He has followed through and said he and the bureau will look at contractors and will be “laser focused” on making sure the money goes where it should. “Where we fi nd corruption or misuse of money, I want to make it very clear to everyone we will make referrals to law enforcement agencies based on our fi ndings,” Stringer said. “The worst that can happen is you get hit by two hurricanes, because somebody took money or didn’t do the work they said they were going to.” The comptroller is also working with Councilmember Donovan Richards and others involved with the Sandy Tracker, on an online database monitoring recovery money coming in and out of the city. He also said the administration should extend the deadline for Build it Back, so more people can gain access to the recovery assistance program. discuss his fi rst weeks in offi ce and just where he plans to go from here. suc- profes- ,funding? THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan City Comptroller Scott Stringer sat down with The Queens Courier to discuss his time thus far in offi ce and plans for the future. BATTLE CONTINUES OVER UNIVERSAL PRE-K BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected] A fi ght is brewing between Albany and Mayor de Blasio over his plan to fund universal pre-kindergarten On Monday, February 10 Republican Dean Skelos, co-leader of the State Senate Majority Coalition, said he would not allow for a vote on de Blasio’s proposal for a tax increase on the rich to pay for full-day pre-kindergarten in the city, according to published reports. After Democratic co-leader of the State Senate Majority Coalition, Jeff Klein, initially made a statement in response indicating he would not support a budget that did not include the mayor’s pre-kindergarten plan, he backed off his threat the following day, reports said. “I don’t think we’re holding up the budget,” he said, according to Bloomberg.com. “The mayor put forth an amount of money that’s completely different than what the governor proposed. Now it’s up to us to come up with the money or adapt the mayor’s plan.” Meanwhile, de Blasio is pushing for Albany to vote for his plan. “To deny a vote on something as urgently-needed and as widely-supported as funding universal prekindergarten is just plain wrong,” he said. Cuomo proposed a statewide plan for universal, full-day pre-kindergarten in his January budget address. The state would fully fund the program. De Blasio believes the city’s program requires dedicated funding.
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