Blog
October 10, 2018
NYSARA Endorses Letitia ‘Tish” James for NYS Attorney General and Tom DiNapoli for NYS Comptroller
At their October 3rd Conference Call Board meeting the NYSARA Board of Directors unanimously endorsed Letitia “Tish” James for NYS Attorney General and Incumbent Thomas DiNapoli for NYS Comptroller.
Letitia James is the Public Advocate for the City of New York, the second highest ranking elected office in the City. As Public Advocate, she serves as a direct link between New Yorkers and their government, acts as a watchdog over City agencies, and investigates complaints about City services.
Public Advocate James made history in 2014 by becoming the first woman of color to hold citywide office in New York City.
Letitia James has transformed the Office of the Public Advocate to deliver real results and reforms for all New Yorkers.
Public Advocate James is a strong advocate for criminal justice reform, and led the push for police body-worn cameras in the NYPD. She was one of the first to call for special prosecutors to be used in all cases of police misconduct. Public Advocate James is a leader in the fight to reform the grand jury process.
Whether it’s through her Worst Landlords list, legal action, or pushing for legislation, Public Advocate James is working to protect tenants and affordable housing. She has revamped the Worst Landlords Watchlist with significant improvements. She has taken legal action on behalf of tenants in several cases, and has introduced legislation into the City Council to protect tenants. She has been a leading voice in the fight for rent regulation laws at the State level. NYSARA President Barry A. Kaufmann said “NYSARA is pleased to endorse Letitia James for Attorney General. Her work as public advocate in NYC has been exemplary in protecting and serving seniors. We are excited that Tish James, if elected, will be able to continue that advocacy and protection, on the state level, as Attorney General.”
From the moment he took office in February 2007, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has been committed to protecting taxpayer dollars by fighting corruption and waste, and safeguarding retirees’ pensions.
As the people’s fiscal watchdog, Tom has worked for taxpayers by following the money at all levels of government from local fire districts to state agencies. He has identified billions in waste, misuse and cost savings through audits of local governments, state agencies, public authorities and state contracts. When he found problems, Tom pushed for change and held government accountable to ensure New Yorkers get the most for their money.
- Championed legislation to toughen penalties for those officials who abuse the public trust by creating new felony level offense and increased penalties
- Grew state pension fund to an audited historic high of 207.4 Billion, with one of the strongest funded ratios in the nation, according to Pew Charitable Trusts
- Used shareholder influence to press companies to address climate change, to tackle the lack of diversity on corporate boards and to expand the talent pool to more fully include women and minorities
- Developed a leading program on Emerging Managers to provide opportunities for women and minority asset managers to partner with the New York State Common Retirement Fund
- Created an innovative Fiscal Stress Monitoring System to measure local government financial conditions to inform taxpayers about what’s happening in their own communities
- Advocated for real, comprehensive campaign finance reform, including public financing of elections for all statewide and legislative elections to reduce the influence of money on government.
In speaking about NYSARA’s endorsement of Comptroller DiNapoli NYSARA President Barry A. Kaufmann said “When you look up the definition of an effective and responsive public servant you see a picture of Tom DiNapoli. His availability and attentiveness and his policies serve all New Yorkers. His stewardship of the Retiree pension system is measurably successful and serves our members extremely well. For those and many reasons this endorsement is a no brainer.”