Scott Stringer

Since 2006 Scott M. Stringer has served as the Manhattan Borough President. In this role, he has been a proponent of affordable housing, community boards, and public safety. His office has also been involved in helping New Yorkers deal with issues related to elevator safety and food disparities.

In 2007 the borough president spearheaded efforts to provide more fresh fruit and vegetables to urban areas. He also helped to create the Go Green East Harlem Cookbook (2008). The book includes healthy recipes which were provided by various Harlem businesses. Stringer also led Go Green initiatives in East Harlem, the Lower East Side, and Washington Heights.

Stringer’s office in 2008 released a study on elevator safety that revealed alarming problems in over 300 public housing buildings. Its findings showed that many of the city’s public housing elevators did not pass the Housing Authority’s inspections. The report was released on the heels of the death of Jacob Neuman, a 5-year-old who fell 10 stories and died after he tried to escape from a stalled elevator in Brooklyn. Millions of dollars from the federal stimulus budget were allocated in 2009 to improve the elevators in the city’s public housing developments.

Before serving as borough president, Stringer was in the State Assembly for 13 years. In the spring of 2009 he considered running for the Senate seat which was held by Kirsten Gillibrand. He later announced that he would not enter the race. Instead he decided to seek re-election to again serve as the Manhattan Borough President.