Sara Haile-Mariam

Help make it a reality.

I’ve taken a job with David Yassky’s NYC Comptroller Campaign and will be spending the next few months trying to help get him elected because I know he will succeed in repositioning New York City as a leader of economic development and innovative solutions.

I’ll continue to post updates and thoughts here occasionally, and will continue to work on behalf of the issues that I care about outside of the race (which I’ll also keep you posted on.) But by and large, I really believe that the next New York City Comptroller can, and should, influence how we go about eliminating waste, and spurring growth, nationally, and thus will be diving wholeheartedly into this election.

New York City should be a leader of economic growth, and so for the next few months I’ll be 100% behind Team Yassky to do what I can to get him elected, and to help the people of New York City understand exactly what’s at stake and why it should matter to them.

In the interim, I wanted to share a portion of my first post on the Yassky blog (full post here) which further elaborates upon why I’ve gotten behind David’s candidacy.

“Tip O’Neill once said that “all politics is local.” As we feel little more than spectators of our volatile national and international financial systems I think we would be wise to reflect on this notion. The financial crisis began in New York, and while I’ve only lived here for four years I love this city and the crisis that we’ve been witness to does not reflect the creativity, ingenuity and decency of its people. Yet while the crisis started on Wall Street, with the Comptroller race months away, Main Street possesses the power to help chart a new course for our City. It’s for this reason that I am endorsing and working for Councilman David Yassky in his bid to become New York City Comptroller. There’s a temptation to dismiss the next Comptroller as irrelevant to our lives and ambitions. It’s all too easy to perceive the City Comptroller as little more than a glorified accountant, as someone disconnected from the issues that consume our lives and the decisions that we make on a regular basis. Now more than ever, we must demand more of the person who holds this office.

David Yassky understands that the next comptroller must set a policy vision that will pave the way for accountable spending and the kind of transparency that ensures that we’re apart of the process rather than victims of it. He has spent the last seven years pursuing innovative solutions – passing legislation to put fuel-efficient hybrid taxis on our streets and helping factories install solar panels. He is the only candidate to outline how he plans on using new technology to foster and encourage increased transparency and citizen oversight by building a website that does that now (www.itsyourmoneynyc.com). His record reflects a history of pushing back against conventional wisdom to encourage solutions worthy of the 21st century.”