Scarsdale Democrats Support Tom DiNapoli for NYS Comptroller

(The following letter was written by Alissa Baum and Myra Saul, Co-Chairs, Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee)

To the Editor:

Primary Alert! Scarsdale Democrats will be asked to vote for only one office in the upcoming June 23rd primary. That office is New York State Comptroller. The state Democratic Party nominating convention endorsed the incumbent, Tom DiNapoli. In our personal capacities, we, as co-chairs of the Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee, endorse the reelection of Tom DiNapoli as NYS Comptroller.

DiNapoli has served as NYS Comptroller, New York’s chief fiscal officer, since 2007 where he has been responsible for managing the NYS Retirement Fund, administering the NYS State retirement system and the New York State 529 Programs and protecting taxpayer funds by uncovering waste, fraud, and abuse.

During his tenure, DiNapoli has managed one of the largest pension funds in the country. He has protected retirees’ pensions by ensuring that it is one of the best-funded public pensions and that it has maintained strong market performance even during periods of economic downturn. Recently, because the pension fund holds significant Con Edison stock, DiNapoli attempted to reign in the compensation of its CEO by voting against a proposed compensation package brought before shareholders. The CEO’s compensation package passed over his objection, but DiNapoli made a strong statement that regulated utility companies should have tighter pay practices while New Yorkers are facing an affordability crisis.

Similarly, in his role as the state’s fiscal watchdog, DiNapoli has protected all New Yorkers by making sure that government uses taxpayer funds appropriately. He has audited local governments, state agencies, state contracts, and public authorities to identify waste and improper spending as well as to pursue cases involving fraud and corruption. One recent audit of the state’s Medicaid program found that the state may have wasted over $2.6 billion in covering the Medicaid costs of people who live out-of-state.

Finally, DiNapoli’s Office of Unclaimed Funds already returns $2 million a day to their rightful owners — more than any other state. However, that number is set to increase with his new Expedited Payment Program. This program uses data to safely and automatically send out money to their rightful owners. After successfully returning over $48 million, just with checks of $250 and under, DiNapoli is expanding the program to include checks of $5,000 and under.

Prior to becoming Comptroller, DiNapoli served for 10 terms in the New York State Assembly representing the 16th district in Nassau County.

Tom DiNapoli has a proven track record of strong fiscal oversight, and we urge Democrats to vote for him in the June Primary Election.

Respectfully,
Alissa Baum and Myra Saul, Co-Chairs, Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee