Stringer Sums Up Tenure In Final State of Borough Address

Scott Stringer

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer still sounds like he’s running for mayor.

Delivering his final State of the Borough address to a warm crowd of constituents and public officials at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Thursday, the comptroller hopeful touted his seven-year record, vowed to spur job growth in the technology sector, urged the passage of immigration reform and paid sick leave, and articulated an ambitious proposal to prevent East River flooding. Stringer insists there’s plenty of overlap between his current job and the city’s top financial post.

“You can’t keep building out the city without addressing the financial challenges we face,” he said, noting his calls to create an infrastructure bank for mass transit and social-impact bonds to expand access to Early Head Start.

His former rivals for the Democratic mayoral nomination, Christine Quinn, John Liu, Bill Thompson, and Bill de Blasio, all stopped by the museum, though only de Blasio stayed for the entire event.

De Blasio was wary of the pending snowstorm but thinks the city is prepared for it. “The last time [in 2010] the snow fell on a Sunday and we were plowed out on Wednesday,” he said. “I’d like the city to do better next time. I think they learned their lesson.”