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Dear New Yorkers,
There’s a lot of work happening here at the NYC Comptroller’s office that doesn’t make the headlines every day. Hardworking staff across the office review contracts, reconcile accounts, make investment recommendations, and settle claims. We run analysis of budget decisions, research policy proposals, and crunch the numbers on what’s happening with NYC’s economic recovery.
So today, my 100th day in office, we wanted to share with you a little of what happens here behind the scenes:
We’ve issued $1.8 billion in bonds to fund city infrastructure… we’ve achieved $285 million in cash flow savings from bond refunding sales… we’ve released 3 audits focused on how NYC agencies can make the best use of their resources to serve New Yorkers… we’ve presented 50 new investments which were approved by the boards of the City’s 5 pension funds… we’ve taken action to divest all 5 funds in the NYC Retirement System from Russian securities… we’ve successfully advocated for 11 more S&P 100 companies to disclose their EEO-1 workforce diversity reports.
We’ve released comprehensive analysis of the Mayor’s $98.5 billion preliminary budget… we’ve published 4 economic updates (as you’ve seen in your inbox!)… we’ve registered 5,336 agency contracts… we’ve settled 1,721 claims pre-litigation… we’ve assessed $285,690 from contractors in unpaid prevailing wages owed to workers and $28,569 in civil penalties… we’ve debarred 2 contractors from public works projects for 5 years each due to wage theft violations… we’ve assisted over 8,000 constituents troubleshoot problems and access City services.
Beyond the daily work of making sure vendors are paid, that the city has adequate cashflow, that agencies are procuring goods and services properly, we also set out a series of goals to use the tools of the Comptroller’s office to make City government work better for New Yorkers. Over the last 3 months, we’ve taken big steps forward on key priorities, including:
- Releasing a Federal Stimulus Fund Tracker to help ensure these unprecedented funds are spent wisely
- Convening a joint task force to get nonprofits paid on time
- Completing a detailed analysis on the boondoggle that is the City's biggest tax exemption
- Issuing an oversight report on bloated spending and poor performance of the Department of Corrections
- Launching a global search for a permanent Chief Investment Officer to manage the assets of the NYC Retirement Systems
- Hiring the first Chief Climate Officer at the Comptroller’s Office to integrate climate mitigation and resiliency into our analysis of city spending, infrastructure, and preparedness
At a time when we are recovering (fitfully) from a health and economic crisis unlike any we’ve experienced before, it couldn’t be more important for government to be able to deliver on its promises. My job, the Comptroller’s office’s job, is to ensure that New York City is budgeting wisely, investing strategically, delivering services fairly and efficiently, and keeping a sharp eye on the challenges to come.
That’s what we come to work to do every day, in partnership with you–the people who know best what your communities need.
Thank you,
Brad
P.S. You can read more about what we’ve been up to in my first 100 days here! |
