As my blog title might explain, I'm from the deep south. Now I live in the biggest, baddest city in the north and as active a voter as I was in the south, I've yet to vote in a local election here in New York City. This is largely because my political vocabulary has not adjusted to public offices with names like "comptroller". What is a comptroller? Does it have anything to do with trolls? Is your office under a bridge? In order to vote, must I answer a riddle? If elected, are you required to dye your hair hot pink, blue, or red and have a jewel for a belly button, and then phase out of popularity in the early 90's?
I've decided this is the year to vote in the election, but in order to do that, I must first figure out what a comptroller does. According to the official NYC comptroller web page, the comptroller is an independently elected official that "ensures the financial health of of New York City by advising the Mayor, the City Council, and the public of the City's financial condition. The Comptroller also makes recommendations on City programs and operations, fiscal policies, and financial transactions. In addition, the Comptroller manages assets of the five New York City Pension Funds, performs budgetary analysis, audits city agencies, registers proposed contracts, etc. His office employs a workforce of over 700 professional staff members."
That gendered description of the office brings us to the first and only female, Melinda Katz, currently in the race for New York City comptroller. Katz has spent four years as a corporate lawyer, five years as an assembly person, and eight years as the Council's chairperson of Land Use.
To find out more about another candidate, John Liu, click here.
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