City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who has jumped into the race for comptroller, netted the backing of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. on Monday, trumpeting it as the “biggest endorsement” in the campaign so far.
Johnson adds the endorsement to a pair of major union nods. Joining Diaz in an afternoon news conference in the Bronx, he promised to take an “aggressive” approach if elected as the city’s top financial watchdog.
“I’ll make sure that every single dollar that we get for COVID-19 relief goes to the New Yorkers that need it most,” Johnson said in the borough’s bustling Belmont neighborhood. “That means federal funding for Bronx schools, Bronx small businesses and Bronx social services.”
Diaz praised Johnson as an innovator and called on New Yorkers to give as much focus to the comptroller’s race as the mayoral race. The campaign has taken on added gravity given the difficult financial straits facing the Big Apple.
“If there’s anything that we’ve learned, ladies and gentlemen, over the last 13 months, it’s that it matters who’s in office,” Diaz said. “It matters that the individuals at every level of office are people we can trust.”
He praised Johnson’s work in the City Council and his intimate knowledge of the city’s purse strings, saying that the speaker has worked to fight off budget cuts. And he highlighted Johnson’s upbringing in public housing and understanding of the New York City Housing Authority.
“Corey Johnson understands our struggle,” Diaz said.
Johnson was a late entry to the race, officially joining on March 9, but has quickly picked up some powerful labor backers, including DC 37, the city’s largest municipal workers union, and the New York Hotel Trades Council. He had toyed with a mayoral run before dropping out in the fall.
The comptroller race also features Councilman Brad Lander (D-Brooklyn), state Sens. Brian Benjamin (D-Manhattan) and Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn), Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Queens) and former CNBC commentator Michelle Caruso-Cabrera.
“Corey Johnson has the right skill set and experience for this job,” Diaz said. “No one running for New York City comptroller today understands the city budget and city finances better.”
