Councilman Brad Lander, who would be the metropolis’s subsequent comptroller after profitable the Democratic main, on Thursday backed the present workplace holder’s effort to drive Mayor Invoice de Blasio to revive regular checks on Metropolis Corridor spending — which have been suspended for the reason that pandemic’s starting.
“We have to restore contract oversight, as a result of if you spend $14 billion with out contract oversight, you already know there are going to be issues, there’s a danger of corruption,” the left-leaning Lander mentioned Thursday morning on PIX 11.
“I agree with that lawsuit, and I name on Mayor de Blasio to revive regular contract oversight to all our spending instantly.”
Lander’s assist for Stringer’s go well with — filed Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court docket — comes after the comptroller ripped the newly estimated $6.9 billion in “unacceptable” unchecked metropolis spending.
“The mayor has prolonged the procurement emergency powers greater than 100 instances, together with as lately as final week, permitting town to proceed to spend with out the oversight that my workplace is charter-mandated to offer,” Stringer mentioned at a press convention. “We’re gonna unravel this.”
Lander — who earned 51.9 p.c of the vote within the tenth spherical of ranked-choice voting — on Thursday mentioned that, whereas he understood the necessity for expedited, pressing spending in the course of the throes of the COVID-19 disaster, it’s time to return to the pre-pandemic method of doing enterprise.
“I agree with Scott Stringer right here,” Lander mentioned.
“Look, on the very peak of pandemic final March, when there weren’t sufficient N95 masks, clearly that was a important time to say perhaps we have to waive contract provisions, in order that we may rapidly purchase masks with out worrying [about] do we all know every little thing in regards to the supplier of them.”
“However now, 16 months and $7 billion later,” comptroller contract evaluations are acceptable, he mentioned.
On March 16, the mayor signed an govt order that stopped common procurement guidelines, with a view to velocity up the method with which town makes purchases. In August, Stringer referred to as on the mayor to permit him to regain supervision of metropolis contracts.
