Comptroller Scott Stringer said Thursday he won’t be naming an emergency manager for New York’s troubled public housing authority as demanded by Gov. Cuomo — claiming it would be a conflict of interest.
“Under the City Charter, my office is charged with independently auditing NYCHA, and on my watch we’ve conducted more audits of the authority than any City Comptroller in more than 25 years,” Stringer said.
“The job and the law require me to be independent. That means first and foremost, I cannot audit my own decisions, including the performance of a manager I select.”
In April, Cuomo declared an emergency at NYCHA, dedicated $250 million to help improve conditions at the authority’s homes and required the appointment of the emergency manager to spend the money.
Under Cuomo’s executive order that task initially fell to Mayor de Blasio, the City Council and tenant representatives.
But they have yet to act.
If they miss the deadline on Friday, the task was supposed to fall to Stringer.
But now he’s taking a pass.
“While I will not be appointing the Independent Emergency Manager, I remain fully supportive of the Governor and Mayor’s efforts to improve the deplorable conditions NYCHA residents are enduring and the widespread organizational dysfunction our audits have uncovered,” Stringer added.
Dani Lever, a spokeswoman for the governor, responded: “There is no merit to the Comptroller’s claim that he is legally barred from picking a monitor but we do understand that politically the Comptroller doesn’t want the responsibility and accountability, and there are many options for us to consider.”