H. Carl McCall isn’t done with New York politics just yet

H. Carl McCall served as state comptroller from 1993 through 2002, making history as New York’s first Black comptroller. In 2002, McCall ran against Andrew Cuomo for governor, winning the Democratic primary to become the state’s first Black gubernatorial nominee of a major party, but ultimately losing the general election to Republican George Pataki. His career also included serving as a state senator, a board member of the New York Stock Exchange and chair of the SUNY board of trustees. Now, in 2025, he is the honorary chair for Cuomo’s New York City mayoral campaign. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What are you up to now that you are no longer the chair of the SUNY board of trustees?

I fortunately remain active politically and socially. I haven’t had any particular position that I held since my last position I left in 2019 when I served as chairman of the board of the State University of New York. Since I left that, I’ve been kind of on my own. I do a lot of counseling. Going back to my old days as a state senator, people still remember me and call me when they have issues in terms of dealing with government or personal issues, so I do a lot of counseling. I’ve spent some time on a number of corporate boards, and although I’ve left the corporate boards, I occasionally still consult those corporations for advice.

What is one success from your time as comptroller that you’re proud of?

The most important thing that I take credit for is that I kept the pension fund. I was the sole trustee of the fund that provides retirement benefits to hundreds of thousands of public employees and former public employees. During my management, the fund grew and we provided additional benefits. We increased the benefits that people who were retired received from the system, which is very important that people were getting a larger pension benefit.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome as state comptroller?

The biggest challenge was dealing with the stock market, making sure we were making wise investments that would pay off, because it was important for us to grow our investments so that we would have the kind of money that was needed to pay off the pension benefits for people. And getting good advice to help us in terms of our investments, so that we had a sound pension system that people could rely on.

What would you like people to know about your time working on the SUNY board of trustees?

The major thing was making people aware of what a great asset the State University of New York is. A lot of people just weren’t aware that we have a state system that was affordable, that you could pay as little as $6,000 to $7,000 in tuition to go to one of our state schools, and as little as $4,000 a year to go to our community colleges, and even that low tuition was offset by a very good scholarship program. Many of our students were not required to make any payments for their education. In every section of the state, there was a SUNY school, with a variety of programs and services to offer. We have four medical schools. We have hospitals. We have community colleges. We have technical schools. We just have such a variety of educational institutions that were sound, high-quality and affordable, and my major accomplishment was promoting that and letting people throughout the state know about this great asset we had and encouraging people to take advantage of it.

You were an early endorser of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s New York City mayoral campaign, despite having run a campaign against him for governor in the past. What was your motivation for doing so?

The motivation was that New York City is in trouble. People are leaving, people are losing faith, people are frightened about living in New York. People think that there are fewer opportunities, that they’re not doing as well as they did in the past. There’s a real sense that New York is going in the wrong direction and that, more than anything right now, New York needs new leadership. Given my experience and contacts with so many people who have been involved in public life, I think I had a pretty good idea of what was needed at this time. I know Cuomo very well and I’ve run against him, but at the same time, we have been friends. We have worked together. He appointed me to the State University (of New York) position and was very helpful working with me to promote higher education. I know about his record and his achievements and his ability to get things done. So, given those factors, it was clear to me that at this critical point in New York City history, we needed the kind of leadership that he could bring.

What are the most important qualities the next mayor of New York City needs to be able to successfully lead the city, protect residents and stand strong in the face of challenges from the federal government?

First of all, you have to care about people. You really have to understand that there are some people who are really hurting. Someone has to have compassion and a sense of caring for those people. That person has to have the ability and the willingness and the experience to take on the challenges that those people face, and that includes the challenges of living in New York, the challenges of a federal government that seems to be on the attack and taking away privileges and support that people need. Someone who’s going to step up and take on the federal government and push them back and get them to recognize that they can’t deprive New York City and New York’s residents of the benefits that we need. I just think that Cuomo, based on his experience and accomplishments, can do that.