NYC Comptroller Brad Lander Talks Mayoral Election

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Joining us right now is Brad Lander.

He's New York City's comptroller and former may oral candidate who actually cross endorsed Mandani during the primary election.

Great to have you here, Brad. Great to be here. I'll get right to the brass tacks here.

I mean, when we talk about some of the fears in this city about Mamdani. We've heard it from Wall Street, We've heard it from the real estate investors, we've heard it from the business community. Will he actually be good for this city's finances.

I think he's going to be great for the sense of the city having a diverse, creative energy and looking forward. Andrew Cuomo has run this sour, dark, backward looking everything is terrible campaign.

I don't know why.

Anyone would want to start a business in that city. But the hopeful one where things get more affordable, where people are still able to come here, I think they will. He's going to put a solid team together. I think business leaders will end up thinking, I don't remember what it was as we were so worried about.

What's the balance though, between sort of carrying out some of his policies to create affordable housing and free bussing and other policies that effectively are going to cost money and at the same time sort of at least support policies that are going to be conducive to people starting businesses, building buildings, etc.

Yeah, well, let's use childcare as an example. So that's the place where Governor Hochal and mayors are on are kind.

Of best united.

That's great for businesses. Yes, there has to be a little more money to pay for it, but if you see what you're getting is that your employees have a safe, high quality place for their two and three year olds. That shows up in business productivity very quickly. It means your employees feel like they can afford to stay here instead of moving someplace else. You got to show you can deliver it, that it's cost effective, that it's worth the money being paid.

But I think that's a win win.

Well, you mentioned safety, and actually we sat down with Eugene rem of Catch Hospitality Group last week. We asked him about the race. He said he really cares about safety at the end of the day. And to that point, Soaron mom Donnie has said that he would keep Jessica Tish to have her stay on as police commissioner if he is elected. Do you think that that's the right choice.

I do. I you know, I said in during the primary, I was the first candidate to say I would ask Jesse Tish to stay on board, and I'm delighted that's are on his setate as well.

Let's game plan a little bit here. We were talking about potential outcomes in the break. So let's say that zoron Mam Donnie wins, but only wins with a plurality, doesn't get more than fifty percent of the vote. What do you think that that means for his agenda going forward?

Look, I do think after the race, by however much he wins, it's critical for New Yorkers to come back together. This race has been so full of vitriol. I mean, Andrew Cuomo's worst self is a very dark place, and we've been seeing more and more of it, and he's just stoked fear mongering in a way that has people on edge. So what I hope is that the mayor elect will bring people back together and say, hey, folks, whether you voted for me or didn't vote for me,

Also the Katie's point, though, I mean, when we talk about Tis staying on as commissioner, there's been a lot of discussion about who Mom Donnie is going to put around him. There's, of course, one of the big knocks that Cuomo, as Lisa's tried to sort of levy his way, is the idea that he doesn't have the experience to manage a city of this size and complexity here. Do you have any sense as to what that team is going to look like?

Well, look, I think people are going to get information on that pretty quickly. And what I'll say, you're going to be on the team, I think people will get information on that pretty quickly.

Okay, I think a lot better.

The people that are going to want to work for Zoran are energetic or excited about it, have hope in the future of the city. No one wants to work for Andrew Cuomo, So this idea that it would be better to have him, I mean, he's an abusive boss, whereas Zaurn. It's going to set the table in a way that says, hey, we get to write the next chapter, focus on affordability, stand up to Trump. I think it's going to be a first rate team.

Do you think the city and meaning the people in power in the city are going to cooperate with them? The business leaders, the police, unions, et cetera, et cetera.

Look, I mean it's a city in which people got a lot of opinions and they feel strongly but they love We love New York City, and that's a pretty profound feeling. So I just I really do hope even folks who don't voters are on tomorrow will say, how can we work together to actually make it work? Everyone benefits from a more affordable, from a safer from a more inclusive city.

Well, Brad, let's try to get at your future plans through a different way. Are you planning to run for Congress in the tenth district? Are you waiting to see how tomorrow show?

So for today, I'm really focused on helpings or on when tomorrow, on making sure these affordable housing ballot propositions pass tomorrow, which people aren't talking about but are a big deal for building more housings through tomorrow and the bulls close, I'm going to stay focused on helping make sure those things happen well.

With that in mind, talk us through what the next twenty four plus hours look like for you, because I have to imagine this as a sprint to the finish.

Oh. We started today at six am with a Zoron and a crew of us walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Poles open at six am tomorrow they go till nine pm. It's really important that everyone comes out to vote. Most people don't even know about those housing, those pro housing ballot propositions. So I'll be out at polesite saying, hey, here's an opportunity for you to vote for more affordable

I'm going to ask you a very loaded question here, Brad, and this has to do with your campaign and why it didn't succeed. There's been a lot of talk about this sort of being a litmus test for progressivism or whatever the Democratic Party is trying to be here. Why did Zoron bubble up out of nowhere for a lot of people people like you did.

Cuomo's behind in the polls and Adams is out of the race.

Yeah, look well, I mean Adams sold our city out first to Turkey and then to Trump, and people are tired of corruption. Cuomo came in with big leadership in name recognition, but ran a sour, backward looking race. I ran the campaign maybe you could say, of the guy that does the homework, and that wasn't what voters were excited by. Zoran ran a campaign that inspired and excited people, that focused on affordability, that offer something new and hopeful in a dark time.