Copyright Joliet, IL Patch
Patch posed six questions to candidate Mark Levine ahead of the general election in November. Here are his replies. NEW YORK CITY — Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine is running for New York City comptroller on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Before entering politics, the 56-year-old candidate worked as a bilingual math and science teacher at J.H.S. 149 in the South Bronx and then went on to found the Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union, which has made over $100 million of loans to local families and businesses in Uptown Manhattan and the South Bronx. After that, Levine was elected to the New York City Council. The Democratic candidate currently lives in Washington Heights. Patch asked Levine six questions about his campaign. See his replies below. EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article contains information about one of several candidates who have announced their campaigns in the 2025 general election. Patch has contacted the other candidates with the same questions and will post replies as they are received. PATCH: Why are you running for comptroller? LEVINE: New Yorkers are struggling. Rents are out of control, essential services feel too difficult to access, and trust in government is slipping. I’m running for Comptroller to change that. This office has real power to fix what’s not working - through audits, investigations, budget oversight, and how we invest our pension dollars. I’ll use every one of those tools to fight for a city that’s more affordable, more accountable, and more equitable - especially as Trump and MAGA Republicans ramp up threats to our safety net. The stakes couldn’t be higher. PATCH: What sets you apart from the other candidates? LEVINE: I’ve spent my entire career preparing for this job. I started as a bilingual math and science teacher in the South Bronx, then founded a community credit union that’s helped thousands of working families in Uptown Manhattan and the Bronx get access to affordable loans. On the City Council, I passed the nation's first Right to Counsel law for tenants, and we’ve seen the impact: 84% of represented tenants remained in their homes. As Borough President, I’ve made affordability and livability my mission, pushing for tens of thousands of new units of affordable housing, expanding mental health services, tackling public safety issues like, opening more public bathrooms, and launching a plan to plant a million trees across the city. And I’ve always stood up for working New Yorkers, fighting for fair wages, better job protections, and stronger enforcement against bad employers. I know how to tackle our City’s most complex problems with innovative solutions, and I’m ready to bring that track record to the Comptroller’s office. PATCH: What are the key issues that you’d tackle in office? How would you tackle them? LEVINE: Driving Affordability and Solving the Housing Crisis: I’m committed to tackling the city’s affordable housing crisis using every tool the Comptroller’s office offers—from audits and investigations to investments and procurement oversight. I’ll audit agencies like HPD and NYCHA to make sure they’re delivering and that every dollar is going toward creating or preserving the housing we need. I’ve proposed creating a new NYC Affordable Housing Fund that would unlock unused Economically Targeted Investment dollars from our pension system to support affordable housing citywide. I’ll also push to triple the municipal worker set-aside, so more city workers like teachers and sanitation staff can afford to live in the communities they serve. Demanding Fiscal Responsibility and Smart Investments: Our pension system is nearly $280 billion strong—one of the largest in the country. I’ll make sure we’re investing those dollars wisely for strong returns, but also in ways that reflect our values as New Yorkers. That includes affordable housing, climate-forward projects, local MWBEs, and holding corporations accountable when they violate labor standards or harm communities. Modernizing Government and Making Government Agencies Work Better: I’ll use audits and investigations to identify where city government is falling short, whether it’s delayed payments to nonprofits, underperforming social service agencies, or contractors underpaying their workers. I’ll hold agencies accountable for delivering services quickly, fairly, and reliably. That includes ensuring public school teachers get the support they need, and that families are accessing the benefits they’re legally entitled to. It also means investigating worker abuses, wage theft, and safety violations on city-funded projects. With Trump in the White House, local government needs to step up and defend working New Yorkers—and I’ll make sure we do. PATCH: How would you respond/act to the Trump administration’s threats to cut federal funding from New York City? LEVINE: We’re already seeing the threats coming in from Trump and MAGA Republicans—cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, Head Start, NYCHA, and more. These programs are critical to New Yorkers’ health, housing, and day-to-day stability, especially in low-income and immigrant communities. I’m especially concerned about what Medicaid cuts would do to people who rely on safety-net hospitals and essential health services. We can’t afford to wait. As Comptroller, I’ll work with city budget officials to identify the most vulnerable funding streams and push to set aside emergency reserves during this budget cycle. We need to be ready to cushion the blow if these federal cuts hit—and protect the New Yorkers who would feel it the hardest. PATCH: How would you handle working with/standing up to New York City’s next mayor? LEVINE: The Comptroller’s job is to be an independent check on the Mayor - to follow the money, audit agency performance, and ensure the government is delivering for the people of this city. That means I won’t hesitate to shine a light on bad actors, broken systems, or agencies failing to meet their obligations. But independence doesn’t mean obstruction. When there’s an opportunity to work collaboratively on solutions, I’ll do that too. I’ve done both throughout my career, whether it was identifying land for affordable housing or passing landmark tenant protections. As Comptroller, I’ll always stay focused on getting results for New Yorkers, whether that means working with City Hall or holding it accountable.
