This office is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Auditor for the City. The office has a staff of 800 and a budget of over $100 Million. There are seven Democratic candidates who are considered the “major candidates” because they previously held a public office, showed up in a poll or received some kind of media coverage.
Brian Benjamin
Harlem resident Brian Benjamin earned a degree in Public Policy from Brown and a Master’s in Business from Harvard. He served as chair of his Community Board before being elected to represent Harlem and the Upper West Side in the State Senate in 2017. Mr. Benjamin serves as Chair of the Budget and Revenues Committee.
Michelle Caruso-Cabrera
A graduate of Wellesley College, Ms. Caruso-Cabrera began her career as a producer at Univision News and then became a reporter at the CBS-TV affiliate in Florida. For the next 20 years, Michelle served as a financial analyst, lead reporter, anchor and Chief International Correspondent for CNBC. She is Board Vice President for the Ballet Hispanico of NY.
Zach Iscol
Mr. Iscol is a combat decorated Marine who served two tours in Iraq. He founded the non-profit Headstrong Project which provides free mental healthcare to veterans. He has also been involved in helping veterans transition into new careers. The Cornell graduate most recently served as the Deputy Director of Javits Medical Center in response to the COVID-19 epidemic.
Corey Johnson
Mr. Johnson served chairperson of Manhattan’s Community Board 4, becoming the youngest person to chair a community board in the five boroughs. He was elected to the New York City Council in 2013. In 2017 fellow Council Members elected him to lead the Council as Speaker.
Brad Lander
A member of the City Council from Brooklyn. Mr. Lander is co-founder of the Council’s Progressive Caucus. Prior to serving in the City Council, he was a community planner and housing advocate. He spent 15 years in the nonprofit sector as the Director of the Pratt Center for Community Development and the Fifth Avenue Committee.
Terri Lifton
Ms. Lifton has a B.A. in Economics from Barnard College, a Master’s in Economics from NYU and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. She has worked at law firms and has held leadership positions in the investment and banking industries. Ms. Lifton has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Alex Pan
Mr. Pan is a graduate of Pace High School. He is a student at Denison University (Class of 2024) in Ohio where he is majoring in political science and government. His volunteer experience includes serving as Vice President of the Tzu Chi Foundation-Tzu Shao Youth Association NY Chapter, a humanitarian relief organization.
Kevin Parker
State Senator Kevin S. Parker was seated in the New York State Senate in 2002. He is the 5th Ranking Democratic in Senate leadership. He is the Majority Whip and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy & Telecommunications. Prior to that, he worked in financial services and as Project Manager with the New York State Urban Development Corporation.
Reshma Patel
A graduate of MIT, Ms. Patel works for a company that serves as a financial advisor to issuers of municipal bonds. In this role, she has worked with the City’s Comptroller’s office for a decade. She worked on the creation of a new financing authority, the NYC Transitional Finance Authority which expanded the City’s ability to issue bonds for capital projects.
David Weprin
After earning his J.D. from Hofstra and working in private practice, Mr. Weprin was appointed Deputy Superintendent of Banks and Secretary of the Banking Board of New York State. He later returned to the private sector, working in public finance, helping local governments raise capital for critical projects. He also served as Chair of the Securities Industry Association of New York.
