Scott Stringer

Scott M. Stringer (born April 29, 1960) is an American Democratic politician who has held multiple elected offices in New York City, including as the 44th Comptroller from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2021. In that role, he oversaw the city's $240 billion pension funds, achieving a 9.12% return and divesting $4 billion from fossil fuels while auditing agencies like NYCHA to identify billions in potential savings from waste and mismanagement. Prior to becoming Comptroller, Stringer served as Manhattan Borough President from 2006 to 2013, transforming the office into a platform for policy advocacy on housing and land use, and as a New York State Assembly member representing the Upper West Side from 1992 to 2005, where he chaired committees on real property taxation and pushed ethics reforms.

Stringer's political career emphasizes fiscal accountability and progressive reforms, such as expanding affordable housing by mapping over 1,000 vacant city-owned lots for potential development and launching initiatives for childcare affordability. His 2021 mayoral bid, initially leading polls, collapsed amid sexual misconduct allegations from two women—one claiming a 2001 relationship involving coercion when she was an intern, which Stringer denied as consensual and brief, and another accusing harassment—prompting him to sue the first accuser for defamation after investigative reporting revealed inconsistencies in her account, including prior unsubstantiated claims against others. Courts later permitted his defamation case to proceed, rejecting the accuser's motion to dismiss. In 2025, Stringer launched a second mayoral campaign, positioning himself as a competent reformer against incumbent Eric Adams, focusing on public safety, housing, and government efficiency amid ongoing voter concerns over crime and service delivery.