Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

David Weprin

David Weprin

  • New York Prisons Cut Crucial Lifeline to Incarcerated Individuals and Families Through Arbitrary Package Policy

    Clinton Correctional (photo: Wikimedia Commons)


    Starting July 18, 2022, the New York State Department of Corrections and Community  Supervision (DOCCS) has implemented a new statewide policy restricting the rights of  incarcerated individuals to receive packages from loved ones. The revised policy – Directive  #4911A – requires that all packages be shipped directly from vendors, and in-person visitors will  no longer be allowed to ship or bring packages from home. This measure will further isolate  incarcerated individuals from loved ones and curtail their access to fresh foods,

    ...
  • Get Ready to Vote in the Democratic Primary for New York City Comptroller

    Gotham Gazette:

    (l-r) top: Brian Benjamin, Brad Lander, Kevin Parker, David Weprin, Corey Johnson; bottom: Reshma Patel, Zach Iscol, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, Terri Liftin


    Democratic New Yorkers are being handed an extensive ballot for this month’s primary elections, with all of city government on the ballot and the first full implementation of ranked-choice voting. The race for New York City Comptroller, too-often neglected by the press and voters, is of great importance given the responsibilities of the job and the fact that whoever wins is all but certain to eventually run for mayor, as a

    ...
  • Democratic Comptroller Candidates Spar at Back-to-Back Debates

    mashup 5 poli2

    (l-r) Brian Benjamin, Brad Lander, Corey Johnson, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, David Weprin


    Leading Democratic candidates for New York City Comptroller, the city's chief fiscal officer, met for two debates this past week, just ahead of the Saturday start of early voting, where they laid out a range of positions and occasional attacks.

    Candidates discussed how they would use the comptroller's power to audit city agencies, provide oversight of city budgeting, manage the city's sizable pension funds, and more. They also answered questions on hot-button issues

    ...
  • A Simple But Essential Step to Help Limit Recidivism

    mental health thrive

    Rikers Island detainees (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    In New York, our rates of recidivism are unacceptably high. An estimated 45% of all parolees in New York City experience a re-arrest within two years. 

    Eliminating barriers to reintegration into society is a proven, fact-based way that we can reduce recidivism, and that starts by treating formerly incarcerated people as regular people. 

    In New York, we place a needless hurdle in the way of enabling a formerly incarcerated person from succeeding.

    ...
  • The Money Race in the Democratic Comptroller Primary with One Month To Go

    5x4 comptrollerl

    (l-r) Top: Brian Benjamin, Brad Lander, Kevin Parker, David Weprin, Corey Johnson; Bottom: Reshma Patel, Zach Iscol, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera,Terri Liftin


    This article was updated on May 29, reflecting the Campaign Finance Board's latest public funds payment made on May 27. 

    As candidates filed their latest campaign finance disclosures on Friday, the Democratic primary for New York City Comptroller has become one of extremes. The leading campaigns have millions in the bank as they head into the closing stretch of the race while

    ...
  • What's The [DATA] Point? $250 Billion, Democratic Comptroller Candidate Forum

    whats the data point


    What's The [Data] Point? Episode 107 -- $250 billion [You can download What's The [Data] Point? wherever you get your podcasts, including on iTunes]

    $250 billion—the assets held by the five pensions funds for which the New York City Comptroller is custodian, administrator, and investment advisor. But that's not the Comptroller's only

    ...
  • Democratic Comptroller Candidates Pitch Skills and Plans to Budget Watchdog

    Brad Lander, Brian Benjamin, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, Corey Johnson, David Weprin, Zach Iscol

    (l-r) Brad Lander, Brian Benjamin, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, Corey Johnson, David Weprin, Zach Iscol


    Six leading candidates running in the Democratic primary for New York City Comptroller in the June election appeared at a forum on Tuesday to offer their perspectives on the role of the office, solutions to the city’s uncertain fiscal future, and how they would wield their powers to ensure city government is effective and fiscally responsible. 

    The candidates at the

    ...
  • Decision NYC: David Weprin Discusses His Run for Comptroller

    birth cert law

    David Weprin (photo: Mike Wren/NYS Department of Health)


    As part of the "Decision NYC with Ben Max" series of candidate inter views from Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Gotham Gazette, Democratic candidates for New York City Comptroller talked about their campaigns ahead of the June primary. In this episode, David

    ...
  • City Comptroller Candidates Seek to Set Themselves Apart at Brooklyn Democrats' Debate

    city comptroller candidates Dems 4

    (l-r) Brad Lander, Brian Benjamin, David Weprin, Kevin Parker


    Five Democratic candidates running in the primary for New York City Comptroller appeared at the first debate of the race on Sunday, trying to set themselves apart as most qualified and with the right vision to be the city’s next top fiscal officer.

    The comptroller is the watchdog of city spending, with a job that involves auditing city agencies to root out waste and mismanagement, reviewing city contracts, acting as the fiduciary to the $240 billion public pension funds, providing

    ...
  • Max & Murphy Podcast: David Weprin on His Run for New York City Comptroller

    David Weprin

    David Weprin (photo: ABNY)


    January 27, 2021 - Max & Murphy Podcast: David Weprin on His Run for New York City Comptroller

    David Weprin, a Democratic Assembly member from Queens, joined the show to discuss his campaign for New York City Comptroller in this year's election.

    Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think -- we're on Twitter @TweetBenMaxand @JarrettMurphy. You can listen to the show through the embedded audio

    ...
  • City Comptroller Candidates Pitch Manhattan Democratic Clubs

    city comptroller 603 1

    (l-r): Brad Lander, Brian Benjammin, David Weprin, and Kevin Parker)


    The four Democratic candidates running in this year’s election for New York City Comptroller appeared one-by-one at two recent online forums hosted by Manhattan Democratic clubs.

    The West Side Democrats, during a forum moderated by district leader Joan Paylo, hosted the candidates on January 12, while the Uptown Community Democrats and the Audubon Reform Democratic Club, with moderators Curtis Young, co-president of UCD, and Maria Luna, district leader of the

    ...
  • Democratic City Comptroller Candidates Appear at First Forum of 2021 Race

    city comptroller 2021 parker lander benjamin weprin

    (l-r) Kevin Parker, Brad Lander, Brian Benjamin, David Weprin


    The four Democratic candidates running in this year’s election for New York City Comptroller appeared one-by-one Sunday afternoon at an online forum hosted by several downtown Manhattan Democratic clubs. The comptroller is the city’s chief fiscal officer, responsible for auditing city agencies, leading management of the public pension funds, analyzing the city budget, approving city contracts, and providing broad oversight of city government and other entities that impact New

    ...
  • David Weprin Launches Campaign for New York City Comptroller

    legis adv cel

    David Weprin (photo: Mike Wren/NYS Department of Health)


    State Assemblymember David Weprin, a five-term Queens Democrat, officially launched his 2021 campaign for New York City Comptroller on Monday. He is running to replace term-limited Comptroller Scott Stringer, and is competing with three other sitting elected officials to become the city’s next chief fiscal officer in the Democratic primary set for June.

    “I'm the only one of all the candidates that has both private and public sector finance experience, something that's going to be very needed as we're in

    ...
  • Kevin Parker Launches Campaign for New York City Comptroller

    kp senate

    State Senator Kevin Parker (photo: Parker campaign)


    State Senator Kevin Parker, a Democrat from Brooklyn, officially announced his campaign for New York City Comptroller on Wednesday evening in an interview on NY1. He joins three other Democrats who have already jumped into the race to replace Comptroller Scott Stringer, a Democrat who is term-limited next year and is running for mayor.

    In a phone interview prior to his announcement, Parker touted his long record in government, including the more than five dozen laws he has sponsored, and his background in finance as what he

    ...
  • Brian Benjamin Launches Campaign for New York City Comptroller

    benjamin kick off comptroller

    Brian Benjamin at his campaign launch


    State Senator Brian Benjamin launched his campaign for New York City Comptroller on Thursday, officially entering the Democratic primary for the citywide position of the city’s chief fiscal officer.

    Stressing his finance background and work in the state Legislature on a variety of issues including police reform, Benjamin held a campaign event in his home neighborhood of Harlem, surrounded by supporters including several other elected officials endorsing him.

    Benjamin, who is first

    ...
  • An Inclusive Recovery Starts With An Inclusive Process

    stakeholders meeting covid recovery idea 

    Gather stakeholders around the table (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    Major financial decisions in New York, such as city and state budgets and economic development deals, are typically made behind closed doors in processes that are opaque to the public and rushed through our legislatures. The recent budget deal between Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council was no different — addressing a $9 billion shortfall with contingencies and fuzzy math. It included an insufficient plan to restart our economy and will

    ...
  • Council Member Helen Rosenthal Drops Out of 2021 Comptroller Race

    1 cm helen rosenthal womens

    Council Member Helen Rosenthal (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    New York City Council Member Helen Rosenthal, a Democrat from Manhattan, is dropping out of the 2021 race for Comptroller, she told Gotham Gazette in an interview Friday morning.

    Next year, the entire city government – the mayor, comptroller, public advocate, five borough presidents and 51 City Council seats – will be on the ballot. Rosenthal is currently serving her second term representing District 6 on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, and cannot run for reelection

    ...
  • 2021 Comptroller Candidates Offer Different Ideas for Addressing City's Fiscal Woes

    de Blasio city budget graph trends

    The city's economy & budget are in free-fall (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayor's Office)


    New York City’s fiscal woes are worsening by the day as the COVID-19 pandemic has deprived the city of much needed tax revenue while likely forcing severe budget cuts that could be compounded by reductions in state aid. Though there is broad agreement that the best solution can only come in the form of a federal bailout, various other strategies and contingencies are being debated. And several of the candidates seeking to become the city’s next chief fiscal

    ...
  • January 2020 City Campaign Cash Roundup: Races for Mayor, Comptroller, Borough Presidents

    inauguration jan

    (photo: Mayor's Office)


    Candidates running for local office filed their latest campaign finance disclosures with the New York City Campaign Finance Board this week, showing their fundraising and expenditures from the last six months, and cumulative numbers for the 2021 election cycle.

    Next year’s election is shaping up to be highly competitive and consequential, with two of three citywide elected officials, four of five borough presidents, and 35 of 51 City Council members facing term limits. The city will elect a new mayor and comptroller for the first

    ...
  • State Senator Brian Benjamin Explores Run for City Comptroller

    senator state a

    State Senator Brian Benjamin, left, with Comptroller Scott Stringer (photo: @NYSenBenjamin)


    The 2021 primary for New York City Comptroller may be 21 months away, but there are already three declared Democratic candidates in the race, and another has now indicated he’s exploring a run. State Senator Brian Benjamin, who represents Upper Manhattan, announced on Thursday that he is testing the waters for a potential bid for comptroller and said he would explore over the next year, including a 2020 Senate reelection campaign, to see if his candidacy is

    ...
  • Assemblymember David Weprin Plots City Comptroller Campaign

    comptroller david weprin

    (photo: David Weprin for Comptroller, 2009)


    State Assemblymember David Weprin of Queens has officially filed papers to run for New York City Comptroller in 2021 and has been raising funds for the race for the last five months. He is the third Democrat to jump into the race, joining New York City Council Members Helen Rosenthal of Manhattan and Brad Lander of Brooklyn.

    The 2021 election is expected to be a herculean undertaking, with all

    ...
  • Addressing the Crisis of Family Separation Here in New York

    reunion hug prison visit


    It is time to address the crisis of family separation. This time, it’s not about the humanitarian emergency on our nation’s southern border, but our own homegrown crisis that affects New York’s approximately 80,000 children with a parent in prison. Most of these children deeply miss and want to visit their mothers or fathers, yet distance is a barrier, and many of New York’s 54 prisons are not accessible by public transportation.

    Time and again, constituents from across the state have asked us for help. Grandmothers like Mrs. Coleman who was unable

    ...
  • It’s Time for Parole Reform in New York; Here are the First Three Steps

    victor della plaza hotel rally

    (photo: The Release Aging People in Prison Campaign)


    For years, advocates, community members, and New York State lawmakers have worked to change our state’s unfair, biased, and harmful criminal legal system. We came together as supporters of common sense, cost-saving reforms that would benefit all New Yorkers. But our efforts were stymied by a political landscape that prevented us from making these important changes.

    Now that landscape is different and the power dynamics in the state Legislature have shifted, it is time for

    ...
  • The New York City Campaign Finance Board and Its Scofflaws

    cfb website grab 

    the NYC CFB website


    On September 15, the city's Campaign Finance Board announced the latest round of fines coming out of the city election cycle that wrapped up nearly three years ago. The board penalized candidates from six unsuccessful campaigns -- for City Council, Public Advocate and the Mayor’s Office.

    The board

    ...
  • How To Become a New York City Council Member

    bdb cms muni id alatriste

    Mayor de Blasio, a former Council member, with several current CMs (William Alatriste)


    Ask any New York City Council member and they'll tell you— there is no set formula that will send an aspiring candidate to City Hall.

    "If you want to be a lawyer, the path is the same: get a bachelor's degree, take the LSATs, go to law school, take the bar exam, and voila, you're a lawyer," Ritchie Torres, the 51-member Council's youngest rep, told Gotham Gazette. "Whereas in politics, there is no single path."

    Torres'

    ...