Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Brian Benjamin
Brian Benjamin (Democratic Party) was the Lieutenant Governor of New York. He assumed office on September 9, 2021. He left office on April 12, 2022.
Benjamin (Democratic Party) ran for election for Lieutenant Governor of New York. He did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 28, 2022.
Benjamin resigned from the office of Lieutenant Governor of New York on April 12, 2022, following his indictment on federal bribery conspiracy charges. Click here to learn more.
Benjamin served in the New York State Senate, representing District 30 from 2017 to 2021.
Biography
Benjamin received a degree from Brown University and a master's degree in business from Harvard. He has worked in financial management at Morgan Stanley and for a company building affordable housing units. Benjamin has also been a member of President Barack Obama’s National Finance Committee. He has served as chairman of Community Board 10.[1]
Committee assignments
2021-2022
Benjamin was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Health Committee
- Budget and Revenue Committee, Chair
- Senate Codes Committee
- Finance Committee
- Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee
- Senate Rules Committee
2019-2020
Benjamin was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Health Committee
- Senate Codes Committee
- Finance Committee
- Senate Rules Committee
- Senate Transportation Committee
- Budget and Revenue Committee, Chair
Elections
2022
See also: New York gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022
General election
General election for Lieutenant Governor of New York
Incumbent Antonio Delgado defeated Alison Esposito in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of New York on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Antonio Delgado (D / Working Families Party) | 53.2 | 3,140,415 |
 | Alison Esposito (R / Conservative Party) | 46.8 | 2,762,581 | |
| Total votes: 5,902,996 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Andrew Hollister (L)
- Robin Dalton (Unite Party)
- Ana Maria Archila (Working Families Party)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of New York
Incumbent Antonio Delgado defeated Ana Maria Archila and Diana Reyna in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of New York on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Antonio Delgado | 60.7 | 522,069 |
 | Ana Maria Archila | 24.8 | 213,210 | |
 | Diana Reyna | 14.1 | 121,589 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 3,471 | ||
| Total votes: 860,339 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brian Benjamin (D)
- David Englert (D)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Alison Esposito advanced from the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of New York.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Michael Grace (R)
Conservative Party primary election
The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Alison Esposito advanced from the Conservative Party primary for Lieutenant Governor of New York.
Working Families Party primary election
The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Ana Maria Archila advanced from the Working Families Party primary for Lieutenant Governor of New York.
2021
See also: City elections in New York, New York (2021)
General election
General election for New York City Comptroller
Brad Lander defeated Daby Carreras, Paul Rodriguez, and John Tabacco in the general election for New York City Comptroller on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Brad Lander (D) | 69.6 | 752,710 |
 | Daby Carreras (R / Save Our City Party) | 23.1 | 249,460 | |
 | Paul Rodriguez (Conservative Party) | 5.5 | 59,251 | |
| John Tabacco (L / Independent Party) | 1.7 | 18,802 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 1,935 | ||
| Total votes: 1,082,158 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic Primary for New York City Comptroller
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Brad Lander in round 10 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
|
Total votes: 868,087 |
|||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Chris McNickle (D)
- Helen Rosenthal (D)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Daby Carreras advanced from the Republican primary for New York City Comptroller.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- John Tabacco (R)
Conservative Party primary election
The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Paul Rodriguez advanced from the Conservative Party primary for New York City Comptroller.
2020
See also: New York State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for New York State Senate District 30
Incumbent Brian Benjamin defeated Oz Sultan in the general election for New York State Senate District 30 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Brian Benjamin (D) | 93.0 | 115,397 |
 | Oz Sultan (R) | 6.8 | 8,477 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 148 | ||
| Total votes: 124,022 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Brian Benjamin advanced from the Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 30.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Oz Sultan advanced from the Republican primary for New York State Senate District 30.
2018
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2018
Benjamin also ran in the 2018 election as a Working Families Party candidate.
General election
General election for New York State Senate District 30
Incumbent Brian Benjamin won election in the general election for New York State Senate District 30 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brian Benjamin (D) | 99.6 | 96,528 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 368 | ||
| Total votes: 96,896 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 30
Incumbent Brian Benjamin advanced from the Democratic primary for New York State Senate District 30 on September 13, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Brian Benjamin |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- LaShawn Henry (D)
2017
A special election for the position of New York State Senate District 30 was held on May 23, 2017. The last day for candidates to accept or decline nomination was March 20, 2017.[2]
The seat was vacant following Bill Perkins's (D) election to the New York City Council.
Brian Benjamin (D) defeated Dawn Simmons (R) and Ruben D. Vargas (Reform) in the special election.[3] According to a breakdown of presidential election results by state legislative districts, Hillary Clinton (D) won this seat in 2016 by 90 points.[4][5]
| New York State Senate, District 30, Special Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Brian Benjamin |
90.7% | 8,106 | |
| Republican | Dawn Simmons | 3.2% | 287 | |
| Reform | Ruben D. Vargas | 2.1% | 190 | |
| Blank | Blank | 0.5% | 46 | |
| Void | Void | 0% | 0 | |
| Scattering | Scattering | 3.5% | 309 | |
| Total Votes | 8,938 | |||
| Source: NYC Board of Elections | ||||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Brian Benjamin did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2021
Brian Benjamin did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Benjamin’s campaign website stated the following themes. Click here to read full plans.
| “ |
Redefining Police Accountability and Public Safety In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, another generation of New Yorkers came together to address the urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement. They took to the streets and gave new life to the chant first heard after Eric Garner lost his life to police in 2014: “I Can’t Breathe.” Below are just a few examples of how Brian Benjamin has fought to make the aspirations of this movement a reality in law as State Senator. A full list of Brian’s legislative and advocacy efforts can be found at the end of this document.
This document lays out his plan to achieve those goals, including the following measures:
Affordable and Equitable Housing for All Brian Benjamin has dedicated a significant portion of his life to the creation and preservation of affordable housing. As a builder, a community board chair, and a legislator, he has fought for a more affordable, equitable and pro-tenant housing landscape for New York City.
Brian will bring this experience to the office of the New York City Comptroller to expand New York City’s affordable housing opportunities. AFFORDABLE FOR WHO? DETERMINING THE REAL NEED The goals to build and preserve affordable housing proposed and funded by the current city government not only fail in their size, but in the income brackets they target. The Housing New York 2.0 plan sets its overall target at 300,000 units, while housing experts (and even a report from the office of comptroller in 2018) have estimated the need at almost twice that. When looking at households with the greatest need, extremely low income and very low families, the disparity is even greater. Only 15% of the need these households experience is addressed by the plan. However, for low income, moderate income and middle income families, the city’s plan provides for more than enough housing, and at surprising levels. For these three income brackets the city provides 415%, 157% and 400% of the needed housing respectively. This means that the city is not falling short in how much affordability it is creating -- it is creating too much in some income brackets, potentially further exacerbating affordability and gentrification because of poor planning. Whether this is because of market pressures or backwards thinking, the facts could not be clearer: city leaders have no comprehensive master plan to truly address affordability in our city. If we are serious about addressing the crisis, Brian knows we need a master plan which actually takes into account the real need that New Yorkers are experiencing, allowing us to determine how many units of affordable housing we need at each level of affordability and where. As comptroller, Brian will ensure that the City of New York is dealing with real numbers, and not aiming for goals that are disconnected from our needs by measuring those needs in each neighborhood and holding the mayor, the Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD), and the City Council accountable. If our housing plans don’t reflect the real need in each community, as comptroller, Brian will speak up and be an advocate for those communities. If a certain community requires 50,000 units at 75% of Area Median Income (AMI) and 5,000 units of transitional housing, but instead the city builds (either with city resources or by incentivizing private developers) 75,000 units at 125% of AMI, no one has been helped – these apartments won’t be affordable to those who need them. This will have encouraged gentrification and our resources will have been wasted. To ensure this does not happen, among Brian’s first hires will be an Assistant Comptroller for Housing and Economic Development. This Assistant Comptroller will be able to ensure that the city is actually following through and is reasonably determining what to build at what level of affordability and where. The office will measure progress through audits not only of the various authorities and agencies involved in building, but also complete programmatic audits that will look at the equity and sustainability of the programs to be an affordable New York City. INVESTING IN AFFORDABILITY The comptroller’s office can directly contribute to the creation of affordable housing through the statutorily mandated Economically Targeted Investments (ETIs). These important investments are supposed to make up 2% of the value of the five pension funds, roughly $5 billion. But at the end of 2020, only $3 billion was invested in ETIs, meaning the comptroller has at least $2 billion to invest in strategic initiatives to improve New York City. In partnership with the labor trustees, Brian will use his financial background and affordable housing development experience to find opportunities to make good returns for our retirees while increasing the affordability of the city those retirees live in. These investments can fight homelessness, provide truly affordable rental units, and affordable fixed-rate mortgage homeownership. For example, the city is paying more than $6,000 a month to keep families in hotels as temporary shelter. This is money well spent to keep a family safe during a pandemic, but it is not a good permanent solution. Brian believes the office should look at hotels that are currently experiencing financial trouble or even on the brink of bankruptcy. Using ETIs, the pension funds can create an entity that the investment managers can then instruct to purchase hotels and convert them into temporary or even transitional housing. This is a sound financial investment that a private company will not make, but that both guarantees a good return for the holders of the pensions (a primary goal) as well as serving the people of the city. Whatever the project, Brian will partner not only with the labor trustees but with union labor to get these projects built. A PRECIOUS RESOURCE: LAND New York City currently possesses more than a thousand lots of vacant land which can be utilized to build a more sustainable and affordable city. By actively tracking this resource as well as commercial and residential lots that are underutilized and have remained permanently in a tax delinquent status, Brian will work with city agencies to find uses that city agencies and the community can invest in. Opportunities to use this land include Providing data to community boards, the Department of City Planning and other relevant agencies to encourage the building of permanently affordable, rent regulated apartments, targeting high-need income brackets in high-need areas and opportunities for affordable homeownership such as the construction of fixed-rate mortgage units. NYCHA Few people in public service are more familiar with the issues that NYCHA is facing than Brian, as his senate district has more public housing developments than anywhere else in the city. Brian’s campaign for Comptroller is being supported by ten major Manhattan NYCHA leaders because since his election to the senate in 2017, Brian has worked closely with tenant leaders to advocate for residents’ needs in Albany. Year after year, Brian has stood shoulder to shoulder with tenants by demanding an increase in capital funding from the state, accountability around lead found in paint, and faster response time to resident complaints. Despite the increases Brian has fought for, waste prevents much of the funding from improving the lives of tenants. Leaking roofs were replaced at market rate while they were still under warranty, a huge waste of money that could have been spent on much needed capital repairs including constantly broken elevators and heat that stops working in the dead of winter. Worse, the city never seems short of cash for consultants while these problems have continued, shelling out $3 million in 2019 to KPMG LLP for advice about reorganizing that is nearly identical to advice it paid Boston Consulting $10 million for 7 years ago. The federal monitor, who comes at a yearly price tag of $20 million, is problematic as well, as many believe the oversight the monitor provides should have been provided by the city already. As Comptroller, Brian will provide the required oversight to ensure that funds reach their intended target: the residents of public housing. Most importantly, he will ensure that the fight for funding and accountability for NYCHA centers the voices of NYCHA tenant leadership in decision making. AN ADVOCATE FOR AFFORDABILITY Brian will use the Office of Comptroller to ensure that the city hits its strategic city goals and that the money spent on these programs impact New Yorkers in need. Under Brian’s watchful eye, programs like 421a will provide tenants the benefits they are intended to provide. Brian will also continue to advocate for affordability to the federal, state and city governments, pushing for historic investments and for innovative ideas including Community Land Trusts and other new forms of social homeownership. He will use the data city audits provide to fight for the preservation of Mitchell Lamas and Housing Development Fund Corporations, and he will hold the agencies that provide them with oversight accountable. Click here to download Brian’s full plan for Housing for All Closing the Gender Pay Gap With Financial Literacy Economic policy is civil rights policy, and as comptroller Brian will bring his financial experience and his record of fighting for justice to the task at hand. On the financial front, the fight for justice is a fight against income inequality. Addressing income inequality has to include addressing the gender pay gap. In New York City, women earn just $0.89 for every $1 men make. For women of color, the gap is worse: $0.82 for Asian women, $0.66 for Black women, and $0.56 for Latina women. New York City’s economy relies on women – they make up the majority of essential workers (60%, 81% in social services and 74% in healthcare), and 75% of all frontline workers are people of color. And yet, even as they keep our city afloat, they face extraordinary burdens. We would not have made it through this pandemic without them, and we will not recover without addressing the issues that face them. As a Senator, Brian sponsored and supported legislation to end the pay gap for public and private workers. As comptroller, Brian will address the problem directly with audits to ensure human rights standards are being met, a push for contracts for local M/WBEs, and new targets for investments in firms run by women and minorities, but there is something more fundamental that needs to be addressed as well. Women are often not encouraged to become involved in finance in the same way that men are. A study by Stanford University showed that men were almost 15% more likely to answer questions about financial literacy correctly than women. This has serious repercussions for the financial health of independent women, families and small businesses, particularly in communities of color that are struggling to recover from COVID-19. To address income inequality, this financial literacy gap and the cultural trend that discourages women to feel confident about their own finances must be addressed. If we don’t address the gender pay and financial literacy gap, we are leaving a huge amount of potential economic activity on the table, and starving our neighborhoods and families of the leadership they need to thrive. By encouraging independent women and nonbinary New Yorkers to be financial leaders in their families, their communities, and our city, New York can become a fairer and more prosperous city. As Comptroller, Brian will work with his Chief Diversity Officer to provide workshops in key neighborhoods identified by his Area Community Prosperity index as a guide, which will also be used to measure the success of the workshops. These workshops will focus on financial literacy and will partner with community organizations including non profits, credit unions, labor and trusted community organizations, including houses of worship and the National Pan-Hellenic Council. The goals of these workshops will be to find and encourage leaders and to arm people with financial literacy skills, no matter what they are starting with. Brian will participate in these workshops himself so he can share his lifetime of financial experience with the community and receive feedback about the local health of our city’s neighborhoods and families. The economic stability of women, particularly women of color, is personal to Brian. His successes would not have been possible without his immigrant mother’s remarkable journey from poverty to a stable, union job. Brian believes that this is the kind of focus we will need to equitably recover from COVID-19. Even now, as our economy is beginning to rebound, the unemployment rate for Black women is 8.9% and 8.5% for Latina women, while the rate for white men has dropped to 5.3%. Gaps like these must be addressed directly with resources from city government. Economic policy is civil rights policy, and as comptroller Brian will bring his financial experience and his record of fighting for justice to the task at hand. Climate and Sustainability The office of comptroller has a special role to place in the fight against climate change. Within the confines of a formerly redlined neighborhood it is not hard to see the urgency with which we must tackle this issue as a community and as a city. Decades of disinvestment and a lack of green space in neighborhoods like Brian’s means that when summer heat rises because of carbon emissions, neighborhoods like Harlem and Brownsville suffer more emergency room visits and deaths from heat stroke. And when infrastructure crumbles and our air or even soil remains polluted, its children in Highbridge and East Harlem that end up with record high rates of asthma hospitalizations. Click here to read Brian's full plan to use the power of the comptroller to fight climate change. Standing With M/WBEs and Small Businesses Brian Benjamin knows what it takes to run a small business – after all, he dedicated years of his life to an M/WBE that built sustainable, affordable housing in Harlem. Brian’s experience in financial management made the company a success, but there were many challenges that were almost insurmountable, and he fought to level the playing field when he got to the State Senate. If he is elected New York City Comptroller, Brian will use all the powers of the office to ensure that every small business in New York is given a fair shot at succeeding and that New York is building an economy that works for every neighborhood. This document lays out his plan to achieve those goals. Click here to download Brian’s full plan for Standing with Small Business Reorganizing the Office of Comptroller to Serve the People In 2018, when Wadleigh, a beloved Harlem public school for the arts, was slated for partial closure after receiving extra taxpayer funding, Brian wanted to know what had happened. He demanded to know how the money was spent and what metrics were used to determine that the school should close. After conversations with parents, teachers, and agency officials, Brian proposed a collaborative innovative solution that saved the school - protecting both taxpayers’ investment and Harlem students’ dreams for their future. Wadleigh is now thriving. Brian will bring this same solution-oriented focus to the Office of Comptroller. Your priorities will be his north star as he leads the more than 700 staff through audits, contracts, asset management, and more. On day one, Brian will reorganize the staff to ensure that every action of the office leads to real and tangible progress, appointing Assistant Comptrollers for Education, Public Safety and Housing & Economic Development. These empowered deputies will follow a specific model for achieving positive results in their issue areas: identify problems, audit/investigate, craft recommendations, form advocacy efforts and finally implement solutions. This new organization of the office will focus on results that matter to New Yorkers, and will foster the interdepartmental and interagency cooperation that is necessary for real success. With the work being led and measured not only by senior staff from departments like the Bureau of Audit, Contract Administration, or Asset Management but also by staff with a full time dedication to enacting your priorities across disciplines and departments, New Yorkers can rest assured that the team Brian is leading will deliver real results that lead to a more equitable, just, and affordable city. Investigating Waste in NYC Agencies One of the principal roles of the Comptroller is oversight of NYC’s agencies to ensure that budgets accurately reflect the functions the agency is meant to fulfill. Every dollar that NYC spends should be scrutinized by the Comptroller to ensure that it is having a positive impact on New Yorkers’ quality of life. Two agencies where this oversight role is of utmost importance are NYCHA and the Department of Education, because of their critical role in serving underprivileged New Yorkers who rely on effective and responsive government. As Comptroller, Brian is committed to launching audits of these agencies as soon as he assumes office. We can’t wait to protect the most vulnerable New Yorkers, and Brian will shine a light on any and all failures and their resulting inequities. LEAKY ROOFS AND LEAKY BUDGETS Few people in public service are more familiar with the issues that NYCHA is facing than Brian, as his senate district has more public housing developments than anywhere else in the city. Brian’s campaign for Comptroller is being supported by ten major Manhattan NYCHA leaders because since his election to the senate in 2017, Brian has worked closely with tenant leaders to advocate for residents’ needs in Albany. Year after year, Brian has stood shoulder to shoulder with tenants by demanding an increase in capital funding from the state, accountability around lead found in paint, and faster response time to resident complaints. Despite the increases Brian has fought for waste prevents much of the funding from improving the lives of tenants. Leaking roofs were replaced at market rate while they were still under warranty, a huge waste of money that could have been spent on much needed capital repairs including constantly broken elevators heat that stops working in the dead of winter. Worse, the city never seems short of cash for consultants while these problems have continued, shelling out $3million in 2019 to KPMG LLP for advice about reorganizing that is nearly identical to advice it paid Boston Consulting $10 million for 7 years ago. The federal monitor, who comes at a yearly price tag of $20 million, is problematic as well, as many believe the oversight the monitor provides should have been provided by the city already. As Comptroller, Brian will provide the required oversight to ensure that funds reach their intended target: the residents of public housing. SMARTER CHOICES SMARTER SPENDING NYCHA isn’t the only important agency which lacks appropriate oversight. The Department of Education also provides numerous examples of money wasted on bureaucracy, consultants, and mismanagement that could have gone to students. As Comptroller, Brian will use his oversight powers and responsibilities to closely vet the DOE budget. Brian’s has experienced resource mismanagement at DOE first hand. In 2017, Brian had the opportunity to appropriate a significant amount of capital funds, even though his conference was in the minority. He worked with a local public school superintendent and decided to spend the money on much-needed technology for elementary students. Each year from 2017 to 2020, he followed up with the Department of Education and the superintendent, trying to figure out where that money was. No one could explain. It was during the pandemic, more than 3 years later, when technology for students was in such high demand that he finally was able to locate these funds within the Department of Education’s confusing and bureaucratic procurement office for the superintendent so she could use them for their intended purpose from three years prior. In the course of those three years, Brian encountered and helped solve other similar problems. A beloved school in Brian’s district, Wadleigh Secondary, was slated for partial closure after receiving extra taxpayer funding as part of the Renewal Schools program., Brian wanted to know what had happened. He demanded to know how the money was spent and what metrics were used to determine that the school should close. After conversations with parents, teachers, and agency officials, Brian proposed a collaborative innovative solution that saved the school - protecting both taxpayers’ investment and Harlem students’ dreams for their future. Wadleigh is now thriving. Other schools have not been saved by such collaborative approaches, and it seems that the Department of Education’s approach isn’t to ask teachers, parents and local leaders to help, but rather to spend millions on consultants when they encounter a problem. In this last year alone, the city paid $35.5 million for First Lady McCray’s ThriveNYC mental health school “consultants,” who are not directly serving students, and $2.86 million to consulting firm Accenture for management advice. As Comptroller, Brian will determine whether these consulting contracts have resulted in quantifiable gains for student populations or school programming. As a senator, Brian has supported tax increases aimed at fully funding foundation aid, but he’s also worked to ensure those funds get to the students who they were intended for when the funds were appropriated. He will do the same as Comptroller. CONCLUSION New York City needs a Comptroller who will ensure that every dollar that is spent has a positive impact on New Yorkers’ quality of life. Brian has the experience fighting for those most impacted when agencies fall short, and the skills to fix the problems that need to be addressed. AUDIT: Democratizing Your Dollars To assess the fiscal health of New York, the city charter requires that the city Comptroller audit at least some part or portion of every agency every four years. These audits help ensure that the agencies meet the goals set for them by elected officials and their own executives. By and large, these are financial audits, and the data being reviewed in making determinations is the agency revenues and expenditures. But Brian knows that to really measure the success of New York City we need to look at more than dollars and cents. That’s because agencies reaching goals in the way that is most impactful to New Yorkers like you isn’t always going to be reflected in the bottom line. To ensure that every agency and program that the city runs is not only fiscally sound but also building a city that New Yorkers deserve to live in, every audit performed by Brian’s office will also include a sustainability audit and an equity audit. The EQUITY AUDIT will look at programs and agencies to determine how their work is impacting communities now. These audits will be organized in three key areas each with its own markers of success:
For equal access, Brian’s team will determine if programs and agencies are doing their best to provide materials for New Yorkers who speak different languages or who use ASL. They’ll also look at the physical accessibility of spaces to ensure that the city is meeting and exceeding ADA standards so that every New Yorker can participate. Importantly, Brian will rate agencies' compliance with New York City’s Status as a Sanctuary City by determining if the agency is collaborating in any way with immigration enforcement. For contracts and hiring, Brian will make sure that New York City’s public workforce is not only qualified, but looks like the city. He will push to ensure that M/WBE goals are met and exceeded. In 2019, less than 5% of city contracts went to M/WBEs. In the same year, more than 29% of New Yorkers were Hispanic / Latino and more than 24% were Black. We haven’t yet added in Asian-Americans or other key demographics and already you can see we have a serious problem. And on top of that, half our city is women, also included in M/WBE! We must do better. Brian will also ensure that companies we work with, to the greatest extent possible, also have fair contracting and hiring practices. We shouldn’t be spending our money somewhere that isn’t treating New Yorkers well. For community engagement, Brian will draw on his experience as a former Community Board Chair to measure the extent to which agencies are engaging stakeholders in decision making when it is relevant. New Yorkers rely on the expertise of the public servants in our workforce, but we can all be better served if we add the local expertise of everyday New Yorkers when implementing new programs and ideas. After every disaster, lookbacks tell us that the city needs to build out plans to connect New Yorkers with relevant agencies, ensure that people check on their neighbors, that neighborhoods have diverse sets of resources at hand, and that volunteers are at the ready when disaster strikes. But these connections are just as important in a time of calm as they are in a time of disaster. What look like relatively weak ties are actually what make New York City strong, and every agency should be investing in by engaging with stakeholders and residents as frequently as possible. The SUSTAINABILITY AUDIT will look at programs and agencies to determine how their work is impacting our future. These audits will be organized in three key areas each with its own markers of success:
For climate change, Brian will measure each program or agency's success in meeting the goals in OneNYC2050, New York City’s sustainability master plan. This plan lays out how we can build a greener, fairer, and stronger city that is ready to face the future, including the climate crisis. Within the confines of a formerly redlined neighborhood it is not hard to see the urgency with which we must tackle this issue as a community and as a city. Decades of disinvestment and lack of green space in neighborhoods like the neighborhoods Brian represents mean that, when summer heat rises because of carbon emissions, it is neighborhoods like Harlem and Brownsville that suffer more emergency room visits and deaths from heat stroke. And when infrastructure crumbles and our air or even soil remains poisoned, its children in Highbridge and East Harlem that end up with record high rates of asthma hospitalizations. This is the threat of climate change, and with a daughter growing up in Harlem, Brian is incredibly committed to meeting it head on. For emergency preparedness, Brian will look at how each agency is working to prepare for disasters big and small. COVID-19 has taught us all that disaster preparedness is not just an exercise we go through once a year, and we have to take it seriously if we care about our neighbors, particularly the most vulnerable. These emergency preparedness audits will look at everything from short term concerns such as ensuring there is an active shooter plan to long term concerns such as looking at agencies work to build out the city’s resilience to survive hurricanes with as little damage and trauma as possible. For innovation, Brian will take a hard look at how agencies are responding to new situations to keep their work relevant and impactful. He’ll ensure that his team hears not only from executives, but also from other relevant staff and impacted individuals about what’s working and what isn’t so that each agency is doing everything it can to meet the needs of the greatest city on earth. Importantly, Brian will make all of this information available to New York City residents on the comptroller's website, so that it will not only guide policy makers and elected officials in their decision making, but also provide an important layer of accountability. Pension Management Brian is the only candidate in this race with relevant investment management experience, and he is concerned about the state of the pension fund. Managing a pension system valued at over $229 billion and working to maximize returns for pensioners is central to the job, and Brian is well-prepared to step up to this task on day one. Brian knows that a strong return is possible while still maintaining a fund that reflects our values. In his first year as a state senator, Brian introduced legislation and then worked with the state comptroller to divest the public pensions from private prisons. In the next session, he took it a step further and brought his fight to big private banks, introduce legislation that would disallow investment from any bank chartered in the state, successfully pushing banks including Bank of America to shed their stock. Brian will do the same in the office of the Comptroller. With labor trustees at the table, he will make investment decisions that help build a city focused on working people. With an experienced financial manager as comptroller, the more than $229 billion pension fund gives the city a seat at the table and a voice that even the largest corporations can not ignore. In addition to meeting our goals to divest from fossil fuels as quickly as possible, Brian will fight to ensure the future investments are targeted to match our values. He’ll use Economically Targeted Investments (ETIs) to invest in developing new income targeted affordable housing projects as well as permanent supportive housing to shift resources from temporary shelters for the homeless, and to invest in stocks that meet environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) standards. He’ll also use the voice the pension funds give the city to make shareholder motions and to force votes to improve the quality of companies the city already has investments in. Having previously managed money at this scale, Brian understands the strategy and impact that shareholder votes can have. In 2020 the pension fund did not reach its required return of seven percent, meaning that - in the middle of a budget crisis - hundreds of millions of dollars must be transferred to the fund that could have gone to social services or another important priority. With a good comptroller who understands the industry, we can get a double return for the investments. First - the financial return for the pension holders. Second - an improved city, one where companies know that they have to center working people because we are going to demand it with the power of this pension fund.[6] |
” |
| —Brian Benjamin's campaign website (2021)[7] | ||
2020
Brian Benjamin did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of New York scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2021
In 2021, the New York State Legislature was in session from January 6 to June 10.
- Legislators are scored on bills related to the fire service.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their support of bills related to the environment, environmental justice, public health, and transportation.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2020, the New York State Legislature was in session from January 8 to December 31.
|
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2019, the New York State Legislature was in session from January 9 through January 8, 2020.
|
2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2018, the 202nd New York State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 3 through June 20.
|
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2017, the 202nd New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 4 through December 31. A recess began June 21, and there was a special session June 28-29.
|
Noteworthy events
Federal bribery conspiracy indictment (2022)
The indictment alleges that Benjamin conspired to direct state funds to a Harlem real-estate investor in exchange for illegal campaign contributions to Benjamin’s 2021 campaign for New York City comptroller. Benjamin appeared in court the same day as his arrest and pleaded not guilty. He was released with set bail set at $250,000.[8][9] On April 12, 2022, Benjamin also resigned from the office of Lieutenant Governor of New York and suspended his campaign for the 2022 lieutenant gubernatorial election.[10]
In March 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reinstated federal bribery conspiracy charges initially filed against Benjamin in April 2022. The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York had dropped the charges in December 2022, arguing that the prosecution had failed to prove that an explicit quid-pro-quo relationship had existed.[11]
On January 17, 2025, federal prosecutors dropped their corruption case against Benjamin. This followed the death of Gerald Migdol, a key witness. Prosecutors said that based on a review of the evidence and in light of Migdol's death, "the government has determined that it can no longer prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, the charges in the indictment."[12]
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ New York State Senate, "About Brian A. Benjamin," accessed May 31, 2021
- ↑ New York Daily News, "Gov. Cuomo to call for Senate, Assembly special elections in May," February 28, 2017
- ↑ Board of Elections in the City of New York, "Special Election 30 State Senate - 05/23/2017," accessed April 17, 2017
- ↑ NY Board of Elections, "May 23rd, 2017, Special Election Results," accessed May 23, 2017
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," accessed May 24, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Brian Benjamin's 2021 campaign website, "Plans," accessed June 15, 2021
- ↑ AP News, "NY lieutenant governor resigns after arrest in federal probe," accessed April 12, 2022
- ↑ The New York Times, "Lt. Gov. Benjamin Arrested in Campaign Finance Scheme," accessed April 12, 2022
- ↑ NBC New York, "NY Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin Resigns Following Arrest in Campaign Finance Fraud Case: Hochul," accessed April 12, 2022
- ↑ The New York Times, "Appeals Court Revives Corruption Case Against Ex-Lieutenant Governor," accessed April 11, 2024
- ↑ Reuters, “US ends former New York lieutenant governor's bribery case after witness dies" accessed January 20, 2025
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D) |
Lieutenant Governor of New York 2021-2022 |
Succeeded by Antonio Delgado (D) |
| Preceded by - |
New York State Senate District 30 2017-2021 |
Succeeded by Cordell Cleare (D) |
| |||||||||||||
 |
State of New York Albany (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
