John Liu at the steps of City Hall in downtown Manhattan.
Comptroller John C. Liu, joined by his family and hundreds of voters from throughout the five boroughs, today officially
announced his candidacy for Mayor under the campaign theme: “One City”.
Also coinciding with the announcement was the full launch of the campaign’s website www.johnliu2013.com. The website is produced by
Plus Three.
The Campaign has raised just about the maximum spending limit for the September 10 Primary. Since November 2010, the Campaign account has
received $3,229,794 from 5,192 donors. The Campaign currently has $2,039,217 in cash on hand. With $568,515 in total matchable
contributions claimed to-date, the Campaign can apply for an additional $3,411,090 in public funds under the NYC Campaign Finance
Program. The Campaign needs to raise just $12,578 more in matchable contributions to reach the spending limit.
In 2009, John won the historic race to become the 43rd Comptroller of the City of New York. An independently elected citywide official, he pledged at his inauguration to “Exercise the powers of that office in the most robust manner for the future of our City.” In just over three short years, John has kept that promise:
• Produced more than $3 billion in cost savings. Because every dollar does something, so every saving means something.
• Served as a watchdog – a pitbull – to aggressively root out waste, fraud and abuse from the City’s coffers, especially spending on outside consultants. The infamous CityTime moneypit led to the recapturing of half a billion dollars, and John has identified even
more to recoup from other mismanaged and over-budgeted projects like the 911 Call Center.
• Saved over $1 billion by reducing the City’s debt service. Because any homeowner knows, refinancing is the kind of savings that goes
straight to the bottom line, and
• Enhanced the assets of the City’s pension funds and retirement security of the City’s working retired men and women, amassing 40%
cumulative returns within three years.
• Expanded opportunities for women- and minority-owned businesses to do business with the City of New York.
• Developed innovative ways to get a better deal for taxpayers and create jobs while meeting the infrastructure needs of tomorrow, including a Capital Acceleration Plan for approved City construction projects, significant pension fund investments for post-Sandy recovery
and Green Apple Bonds to remove dangerous PCBs in 700 schools.
• Protected wage standards and recouped back wages and fines on behalf of cheated workers from contractors who just don’t want to play by the
rules.
• Proposed sound economic policies to create real economic growth and narrow the ever-widening wealth gap.
• Exposed the billions of dollars in publicly-subsidized corporate welfare doled out by the City that failed to deliver on promised new
jobs and fair housing.
• Propelled New York City as the most financially transparent government in the United States by creating www.checkbooknyc.com, It
offers unprecedented public access into how the City of New York spends its nearly $70 billion annual budget and compels more judicious
spending of previous taxdollars.
Prior to serving as Comptroller, John was a member of the New York City Council from 2001 to 2009, representing District 20 in Queens. He
was Chair of the Council’s Transportation Committee and also served on the committees on Education, Consumer Affairs, Contracts, Oversight &
Investigation, and Lower Manhattan Redevelopment. John’s significant accomplishments as a legislator included exposing financial
irregularities at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), shepherding bills through the Transportation Committee designed to
enhance administrative efficiency, and enacting legislation like the Equal Access Bill mandating on-demand language services in health and
human services agencies, the School Zone Engine Idling Bill limiting engine idling near schools, and the Dignity for All Schools Act
requiring the Department of Education to track bullying and harassment in schools.
Prior to serving in the City Council, John worked in the private sector for 14 years, including as a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP where he managed a team of actuaries. John has drawn upon his real world fiscal expertise to root out waste and mismanagement in
municipal government.
Hailed as a “Trailblazer” and “Pioneer,” John’s historic elections as the first Asian American elected in the City – both to the City
Council in 2001 and as City Comptroller in 2009 – were milestones for Asian Americans in New York and across the nation. Although he wishes
APAs had been elected long before, John is honored to be the first and embraces the opportunity to broaden representation and public service.
