Lander Holds Lead in NYC Comptroller Race After Absentee Ballots

(Bloomberg) -- New York City Council member Brad Lander, who won the endorsements of progressive Democrats, maintained his lead in the primary for city comptroller after a tally of absentee ballots.

Lander, backed by U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren as well as The New York Times, had 51.9% of the vote compared with 48.1% for City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.

Lander, a former urban planner and housing advocate who represents the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, has said the city’s biggest challenge was ensuring that more than $15 billion in Covid recovery funds from the federal government is spent equitably.

The comptroller is the chief auditor, responsible for rooting out financial fraud, evaluating municipal agencies, reviewing contracts and managing billions in borrowing.

The comptroller also oversees five public pensions that collectively hold more than $250 billion in assets for 700,000 current and former employees and retirees. That financial might allows the comptroller to exert influence over the environmental, social and governance practices of money managers and companies the city invests in.

Lander, 51, led Johnson after other candidates were eliminated under the city’s new ranked-choice voting system. Johnson entered the race this spring after dropping out of the Democratic primary for mayor months before, citing depression. Johnson, 39, had the endorsements of the city’s biggest unions for public and private workers.

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