[Official statement below.] As first reported this morning here on Matzav.com, New York’s City Councilman Simcha Felder will resign to take a staff job in the office of the city comptroller. Felder is becoming deputy comptroller for accounting and budget.
He will work for a former council colleague, Democrat John Liu. Liu won a decisive victory in the race for New York City Comptroller, becoming the first Asian-American elected to citywide office.
Liu defeated Republican Joe Mendola, an attorney who has never held political office, 76 percent to 19 percent, along with three other minor party candidates. People were already talking about a possible run for mayor in 2013, but he said he’s got another job to do.
“We’ll see what happens in four years. If people want me back as comptroller then, I’ll run for comptroller,” Liu said.
Felder was just elected to a third term on the council. He represented part of Brooklyn.
The city will have to hold a special election to fill his seat.
Of course four years is a long way off and no one becomes mayor in this town without a fight, but on Tuesday night, New York’s new comptroller-elect is giving off the glow of a political rising star.
Simcha Felder has released the following statement:
Councilman Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn) will be joining incoming Comptroller John Liu as a Deputy Comptroller of Budget and Accounting. Councilman Felder has been serving in the City Council since 2002, and is excited to be continuing his work on making the City run more efficiently. In the new post, Felder will help the Comptroller eliminate waste and make sure that taxpayer’s dollars are being spent wisely.
The Deputy Comptroller for Budget and Accounting leads a staff of roughly 120 employees, and is responsible for many aspects of managing the City’s books. The position is responsible for putting together the Comptroller’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, it oversees the payment of the City’s bills, and leads the design and management of the accounting functions of the City’s central accounting and budgeting system, Financial Management Systems.
“I am humbled to have been given this opportunity,” commented Felder. “It has been my honor to serve in the City Council, where I have had the privilege to serve a community my family and I have lived in our entire lives. That said, I am excited to take on the responsibilities inherent in working in the Comptroller’s office on behalf of all New Yorkers. I’ve worked with Comptroller John Liu in the Council for the past eight years, and I look forward to working closely with him.”
“I am excited to have Councilman Felder joining my staff,” said Liu. “He has shown exceptional leadership and financial acumen, and impeccable integrity through his work in the Council, and I am confident that he will help my office perform at the highest level.”
In his eight years in the City Council, Councilman Felder has fought for his district, while accomplishing a number of reforms that benefit all New Yorkers. He has secured funding to build and expand playgrounds and to open parks. As Chair of the Governmental Operations Committee, Councilman Felder collaborated with Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn to greatly limit the effects of lobbyists and to pass the toughest campaign finance laws in the country. He has also fought to make parking and sanitation enforcement fairer, and to end the ticketing culture of Gotcha! tickets, most recently sponsoring legislation to give New Yorkers a five minute parking grace period, which will go into effect on March 21st. Councilman Felder also brings extensive financial experience to the position, as he is a Certified Public Accountant, holds a Masters of Business Administration from Baruch College, and worked as a tax auditor for the New York City Department of Finance.
There will be a special election to fill Councilman Felder’s seat in the coming months, and he will be working closely with Speaker Quinn to ensure that his district receives constant support and community services in his absence.
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Mazal Tov.
If only bloomberg would resign