Comptroller Stringer Lays Out Vision And Priorities For 2015 At Association For A Better New York

January 26, 2015
First-of-its-Kind Partnership with NYPD will Help Reduce Claims, while Red Tape Commission and Boardroom Accountability Push will Foster Economic Growth

New York, NY – On Monday, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer delivered his first address as Comptroller to the Association for a Better New York, highlighting the accomplishments of his first year in office and detailing how transparent, accountable government can improve opportunity for all New Yorkers.

“In my first year as Comptroller, we have enhanced the capacity of this office, delivered value to taxpayers and helped to increase opportunity in our City,” Comptroller Stringer said. “In 2015, we are moving full steam ahead with new initiatives and partnerships to meet our common challenges.”

In his speech Stringer laid out important new initiatives for the coming year, including:

  • Formally announcing a first-of-its-kind partnership with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) designed to leverage the Comptroller’s ClaimStat initiative to reduce claims against the NYPD. Since November, the Comptroller’s Office has shared in real time all claims filed against the Police Department, and weekly meetings have been held between attorneys at both offices to address trouble spots, improve public safety and limit the City’s liability from lawsuits;
  • A new audit that will examine the $700 million that the city has invested in recent years to upgrade internet speeds at city schools and libraries, to make sure the investment is delivering value and better broadband access for students and teachers.
  • A new “Comptroller’s Audit Assessment Team”, which will periodically go back to agencies to make sure that important recommendations from previous audits are being implemented;
  • A Red Tape Commission of small businesses owners and regulatory experts co-chaired by Jessica Lappin, president of the Downtown Alliance and Michael Lambert with the New York City and Bed-Stuy BID Associations which will help identify roadblocks that frustrate business owners, discourage innovation and block efficiency; and
  • A shareowner agreement with Big Lots, one of the nation’s largest discount retailers, to enact the New York City Pension Funds’ Boardroom Accountability Project proposal to give investors a greater say in how its corporate board is elected.

Comptroller Stringer highlighted major accomplishments of his first year in office, which include:

  • Implementing a six-point ethics reform plan for the operations of the Bureau of Asset Management (BAM), including banning placement agents and hiring BAM’s first-ever chief risk and compliance officers;
  • Working with the City to refinance debt by taking advantage of low interest rates, saving taxpayers $1.2 billion to date;
  • Detailing how the New York City Housing Authority missed out on nearly $700 million in federal funds that could have been used to purchase new boilers, lighting and safety measures because of management failures;
  • Grading New York City’s agencies on investment with Minority and Women Owned Businesses, with the City as a whole earning a “D”;
  • Initiating the Boardroom Accountability Project, a groundbreaking nationwide campaign to give shareowners a greater voice in how corporate boards are elected;
  • Promulgating the first City-wide Directive since 2005 to root out waste and fraud by mandating that technology vendors need to document their work before they are paid;
  • Working with Mayor Bill de Blasio, Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito and the City Council and Chancellor Carmen Fariña to secure $23 million in new funding for arts teachers after publishing a report which found 28 percent of City schools had no full-time arts instructor; and
  • Creating the innovative ClaimStat program to monitor where claims are happening in real-time and limit the rise of the cost of settlements and judgments.

“We accomplished a lot in 2014, but we are not slowing down as we head into a new year. Our new initiatives are focused on making real the hopes and dreams of all New Yorkers. I thank you for joining me as we work together to make New York City the greatest City in the world,” Comptroller Stringer said.

###

$242 billion
Aug
2022