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Voters usually know little concerning the state comptroller, however Paul Rodriguez is working to ensure they know his identify.
Rodriguez, the Republican and Conservative candidate campaigning to be the state’s subsequent monetary watchdog, is operating to unseat Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. DiNapoli, a Democrat, is the state’s longest-serving elected official and is in search of a fourth time period.
Rodriguez stated he is the best option to reverse the current pattern of prime state officers, like former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin or former Gov. David Paterson, resigning in scandal.
“You want a comptroller who may be very inquisitive to actually ask the powerful questions,” Rodriguez stated throughout an unique interview with Capital Tonight. “To actually dig down into the numbers and have a look at potential contracts, conflicts of curiosity and to learn in between the traces and kind of shine a light-weight on it.”
Extra govt oversight is required, he says, amid current multi-million-dollar state contracts awarded to donors of Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Born in Queens and raised in Puerto Rico, Rodriguez returned to New York after school and labored as a monetary advisor on Wall Road.
He is operating on the Republican and Conservative poll traces this midterm election the place Republicans have an edge.
He desires to audit how one can minimize state spending and make New York extra inexpensive to stay in, citing current inhabitants decline.
“It is often because I wish to serve, and I wish to assist individuals,” he stated.
Rodriguez misplaced his bid because the Conservative nominee for New York Metropolis comptroller final 12 months, and a 2004 bid for Congress.
He deeply criticizes DiNapoli for letting political opinions about points like felony justice and local weather change affect investments from the state’s public pension fund.
“While you’re coping with different individuals’s cash, and it is a public pension plan the place you are representing individuals, all ideologies and all walks of life, you should not be injecting our private politics into it,” Rodriguez stated. “…There’s two places of work on this state authorities which can be purported to be offering oversight and must be apolitical, and that is the comptroller and the lawyer common.”
Rodriguez and DiNapoli debated on Spectrum Information 1 final week, voicing considerations concerning the new Penn Station and Buffalo Payments stadium initiatives, and requested for extra federal assist to assist with the migrant disaster in New York Metropolis.
However Rodriguez has made decreasing taxes and curbing additional will increase a focus of his platform. He helps extending the non permanent suspension of the state’s 18-cent fuel tax, which expires Dec. 31, into subsequent 12 months.
“I feel it is excessive time that we get ahold of spending within the state and we do not maintain burdening the taxpayers with an increasing number of taxation,” he stated in the course of the debate.
DiNapoli’s marketing campaign has criticized his opponent for his ties to Wall Road and say it’s going to impression Rodriguez’s capability to consider funds over the long-term. Rodriguez counters a short-term fiscal focus led to the present local weather headed for a recession, including his time on Wall Road improves his expertise to be state comptroller.
“New York actually wants a robust advocate for financial growth and somebody who has in his or her thoughts that we have to make the state extra aggressive for enterprise and funding,” Rodriguez stated. “…We have now onerous laws for enterprise and funding and rampant corruption … So that is why I feel we want a change in management.”
A Republican has not been elected to function New York’s comptroller in nearly 30 years. The earlier three comptrollers earlier than DiNapoli had been additionally registered Democrats.
Edward Regan was the final Republican within the place, which he held from 1979 to 1993.
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