Mark D. Levine Is Sworn in as the 52nd Comptroller of the City of New York

New York, NY - From the steps of City Hall, Mark D. Levine was inaugurated today as the 52nd Comptroller of the City of New York.

In his inaugural address, Comptroller Levine committed to "ensuring that people who have spent their lives working for this city can retire with dignity, that our budget reflects our values, and that our government inspires the trust of its people."

Comptroller Levine also issued a letter to New Yorkers outlining his priorities and vision for the office as he fulfills his duty to serve as a fiscal watchdog, advance accountability across City agencies, and safeguard the retirement assets of New York City's public pension funds.

Comptroller Levine's full remarks, as prepared for delivery, are as follows:

Give it up for the best attorney general in America, Tish James!

I want to start by thanking my wonderful family-Ivelisse and our sons Alejandro and Daniel.

Thank you to my partners in City government: our new Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.

How remarkable is it that on these steps today we are swearing in our first Muslim mayor together with a Christian public advocate and a Jewish comptroller? I am proud to live in a city where this is possible.

Muy buenos días a todas y a todos, lamento que estén pasando tanto frío.

ברוכים הבאים לכולם, איזה כיף שבאתם.

Χαίρομαι που είμαι εδώ μαζί σας.

To those of you who don't understand Spanish, Hebrew or Greek… welcome, thank you, and please download Duolingo.

I know what many of you are thinking right now… What's a comptroller?

Excellent question. This job is about ensuring that people who have spent their lives working for this city can retire with dignity, that our budget reflects our values, and that our government inspires the trust of its people.

A comptroller also understands the consequences for working class families when they are excluded from our economic system.

I have seen this in my own neighborhood of Washington Heights where for far too long many families have been held back from achieving their dreams, blocked from banks and forced to rely instead on pawn shops and loan sharks.

Back in the 1990s I founded a community credit union uptown to change this. This financial cooperative, owned by the community, has lent out over $100 million with a 98% repayment rate, proving that when you give working people an opportunity they will seize it.

This is what our city must do now on a grand scale. Build an economy where we care for each other, where our prosperity is shared, where everyone has a fair shot.

Our city today is booming for people at the top, but it's getting tougher and tougher for working families to pay their rent, to find a job with a living wage, and yes Mr. Mayor, to find childcare they can afford.

A comptroller must use the tools of the office to close this gap. And I will.

We will invest in financing tens of thousands of new units of affordable housing throughout the five boroughs, and we will make sure that housing actually gets built, even if it means taking on entrenched constituencies.

We will use the powers of oversight in the comptroller's office to ensure that the City keeps its promises, that it delivers the highest quality city services, that every non-profit with a city contract actually gets paid on time.

We will secure full funding for legal services for New Yorkers facing eviction, so that at last our City lives up to its obligations under our first-in-the nation right to counsel law for tenants.

We will invest in protecting our imperiled planet by accelerating our city's transition to green energy. So that one day when we look at New York from above, we will see a city full of solar panels and trees.

We will protect the immigrants of this city so that families are not ripped apart by masked unnamed government agents.

And we will seek to understand each other. Though we will not always see the world the same way, we can and must ensure that all New Yorkers feel safe and respected, whether they are entering a house of worship, lighting a menorah in public, or saying the salah prayer anywhere in this city.

Our City government can and must take on the challenges of this moment. But to do that we need a better City government. One that uses the tools of the modern era. A government freed of the worst limitations of bureaucracy. One nimble enough to move fast during a period of accelerating change, and to capitalize on the promises of new technology while protecting against its perils.

No other city on earth holds this many lives, languages, and dreams in one place. Our task now is to ensure that this will be a city where all of us, together, can achieve those dreams.

Almost thirty years ago, I stood in a small storefront in Washington Heights helping immigrant neighbors open their first savings accounts. They trusted us with their dreams - a small business, a child's education, a home of their own.

Today, you have entrusted me with something far greater: to safeguard the resources and the future of this entire city. I promise you - I will honor that trust every single day.

Muchísimas gracias. תודה רבה. Ευχαριστώ πολύ. Thank you.

About New York City Comptroller Mark D. Levine

Mark D. Levine has been at the forefront of advancing more affordable, equitable, and healthy communities for nearly 25 years. He began his career as a bilingual math and science teacher in the South Bronx and went on to found Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union, which has since provided more than $100 million in loans to families and small businesses across Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx.

Mark served for eight years on the New York City Council, including as Chair of the Committee on Parks, Chair of the Jewish Caucus, and Chair of the Committee on Health. In the latter role, he brought a science-based, data-driven approach to helping lead New York City through the worst public health crisis in a century. During his tenure, he authored and passed landmark tenant protections, including the nation's first Right to Counsel law, guaranteeing legal representation to tenants facing eviction who cannot afford an attorney.

In 2022, Mark was elected Manhattan Borough President, where he focused on confronting the city's affordability crisis. He identified opportunities to deliver tens of thousands of new housing units, advanced policies to expand affordable housing, and strengthened protections to help tenants remain in their homes. As Borough President, he also launched initiatives to plant one million additional trees, deploy millions of dollars in low-interest loans for small businesses, improve the city's mental health system, enhance street safety and mobility, and strengthen New York City's preparedness for climate change.

Mark was elected New York City Comptroller in November 2025 and assumed office on January 1, 2026.

Outside of work, Mark spends time with his family and enjoys studying languages. He speaks Spanish and Hebrew fluently and is currently studying Greek and French. He holds a B.A. in physics from Haverford College and a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School.

To read Comptroller Levine's letter to New Yorkers, visit: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/newsroom/letter-to-new-yorkers-from-new-york-city-comptroller-mark-levine/.

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