| Scott Stringer | |
|---|---|
| Stringer in 2011 | |
| 26th Borough President of Manhattan | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2006 |
|
| Preceded by | C. Virginia Fields |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 67th district | |
| In office January 1, 1993 – December 31, 2005 |
|
| Preceded by | Jerrold Nadler |
| Succeeded by | Linda Rosenthal |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Scott M. Stringer [1] April 29, 1960 (age 51) New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Elyse Buxbaum (m. 2010–present) |
| Alma mater | John Jay College of Criminal Justice |
| Religion | Jewish |
Scott M. Stringer (born April 29, 1960) is a New York Democratic politician and currently the 26th Borough President of Manhattan.[2]
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Stringer, a native New Yorker, is the son of Arlene Stringer, a cousin of Bella Abzug who served on the New York City Council,[3] and Ronald E. Stringer, a former professor of constitutional law and adviser to New York mayor Abraham Beame.[4] Stringer grew up in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, attended Manhattan public schools and graduated from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
In 1983, he became a legislative assistant to Assemblyman, and future Congressman, Jerrold Nadler. During these years, he supported Democratic candidates such as Governor Mario Cuomo. In 1992, Stringer ran for Nadler's Assembly seat representing the Upper West Side when Nadler replaced deceased Congressman Ted Weiss. During his Assembly career, Stringer served as Chairman of the Cities Committee, Chairman of the Real Property Taxation Committee and Chairman of the Oversight, Analysis and Investigation Committee.
In 2001, Stringer ran unsuccessfully for New York City Public Advocate. In 2005, he entered the race to succeed C. Virginia Fields as Manhattan Borough President. On September 13, 2005, he won the Democratic primary against 9 other candidates and was later elected in the November general election. He took office as Borough President on January 1, 2006. He has “dedicated himself to making Manhattan more affordable, livable and breathable”.[5]
On November 6, 2008, Stringer announced his decision to seek re-election as Manhattan Borough President. [6] His Republican opponent, David Casavis, a history professor and foreign affairs writer/commentator, got 16% of the vote[7] on a platform to abolish the office.[8] In an October 5, 2009 article in City Limits, Stringer dismissed calls by Casavis and Mayor Bloomberg to eliminate his office: "There are people who are going to call for the elimination of the public advocate office, borough president, the City Council. There are people who believe that we should have a king system here," says Stringer. "Borough presidents are part of a new era and a different kind of government. It has real responsibilities and it gives you a large footprint on the issues you get involved with. It's up to the individual to take advantage of that, that you might have an impact."[9]
In spring 2009, Stringer considered a primary challenge to incumbent United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.[10] However, he announced in May 2009 that he would not run for the Senate. In his statement he said: “In light of President Obama’s clear desire to avoid a Democratic primary in New York State, I have decided to focus on my re-election race for Manhattan Borough President and to suspend my exploratory committee and fund-raising efforts for the 2010 Senate race. I firmly believe that innovative thinking on issues like education and the urban environment must be joined with bedrock Democratic values on gun control and immigration if New York’s interests are to be effectively represented in Washington.”[11]
In January 2010, the New York Times reported that Stringer had reserved a Web site, www.stringer2013.com and established a finance committee with three staff members for his campaign for the 2013 New York mayoral elections. In an interview, Stringer said: “It makes sense now to figure out, personally, how best to continue being in public service beyond being the borough president in the next four years, and doing the most for the city. So why would you not think about running for mayor?”[12] In August 2010, the New York Observer reported that Stringer had raised $655,163 in the first half of 2010 for his campaign for Mayor in 2013, largely from real estate executives. According to state filings, he also has $990,000 in his 2009 account.[13]
In July 2011, Stringer, called for the abolition of the $49 million pot of money the 51 City Council members give out in grants ranging from $80,000 to more than $1 million every year to nonprofit groups, as well as the Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn's own fund totaling about $18 million, saying the process for giving out the grants had become overly political.[14]
Stringer strongly criticized New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for concealing the circumstances of former Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith′s resignation in July 2011, an arrest for domestic violence, and asked for a City Council hearing.[15]
In September 2011, actress Scarlett Johansson announced that she backs Stringer in his bid for New York mayor in 2013, saying: “Scott’s very environmentally aware, and he wants to reinvest in New York in a cultural way, in a social way—to make the city affordable and available and enjoyable for New Yorkers. That’s what I want to see. Everyone I know that grew up here or lives here or works here, we want that. We want to see transportation expanded. We want a greener New York, a cleaner New York.”[16] Johansson's twin brother Hunter who had left his job as a community organiser for Stringer in June 2008 to become the campaign organiser for Obama in Denver,[17] works for Stringers 2013 campaign.[18]
Stringer is married to Elyse Buxbaum, a museum's administrator. The couple got married on September 3, 2010 at City Hall in New Haven, Connecticut instead of in New York to protest the fact that same-sex couples could not legally marry in the state of New York at the time.[19] Three days later they had a Jewish religious ceremony led by Reform rabbi Robert N. Levine in Manhattan.[20] According to reports, they are expecting their first child in December 2011.[21] A baby boy was born to Stringer and Buxbaum on December 9, 2011.
In March 2008, Stringer's Office created a map of important Women's Rights Historic Sites on Manhattan to celebrate Women's History Month. The map includes 120 Manhattan locations where women who have helped shape New York City and the nation have lived, worked or where they have been honored.[22]
On October 24, 2009, Stringer's Office and the Heritage Rose Foundation established the first official Heritage Rose District of the U.S.A in West Harlem and Southern Washington Heights with an initial collection of over a hundred roses bushes.[23]
On August 28, 2001, Village Voice political writer Wayne Barrett wrote a lengthy piece entitled, "Mother Dearest & the Courthouse Cabal," in which he discussed Stringer's involvement in courtroom politics, specifically questioning how Stringer's parents had benefited financially from his political ties, and whether some of his campaign contributors were involved in ethical improprieties. Barrett also raised questions about whether Acting Supreme Court judge Louis York had attempted to gain Stringer's support in his bid for a full term on the court by appointing Stringer's mother nine times as a court evaluator and conservator.[24]
In July 2009, Stringer's deputy press secretary resigned under pressure after posting disparaging comments about President Obama on her Facebook page. The incident let the New York Post to ask: “Why does Stringer need a deputy press secretary” in addition to “a press secretary and a communications director; what the hell do they do for a living?”[25]
New York political blogger James "Gatemouth" Ellroy, in an endorsement of Stringer's re-election, criticized Stringer for “using the office to issue statements designed to please his constituents, mostly concerning matters not within his purview”.[26]
The New York Daily News and the New York Post have published articles calling for the borough presidencies to be eliminated. A New York Post article dated July 20, 2008 alleged that Stringer may be billing the taxpayers for some of his campaign travel by chauffeured limousine, an allegation Stringer denied.[27] A March 15, 2009 Daily News article criticized the borough presidents for spending millions of dollars on “pet projects”, including Stringer's “$2 million to renovate the old High Line trestle and create an immensely popular park - and another $150,000 for a database of senior citizens”.[28]
| New York Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jerrold Nadler |
New York State Assembly, 67th District 1993–2005 |
Succeeded by Linda Rosenthal |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by C. Virginia Fields |
Borough President of Manhattan 2006- |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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