New NYC Comptroller Begins Term With a Mitzvah

By COLlive reporter

On the steps of City Hall on Thursday, January 1, Mark D. Levine was sworn in as the 52nd Comptroller of the City of New York, and marked the moment with a Mitzvah.

Moments after his inauguration ceremony, Comptroller Levine donned Tefillin with the help of Crown Heights activist Rabbi Chanina Sperlin, symbolizing the start of his new term with a gesture of Jewish pride and faith. The meaningful moment drew warm reactions from those in attendance.

In his inaugural address, Comptroller Levine pledged to serve as a watchdog for the city’s finances and to protect the retirement assets of New York City’s public pension funds. He emphasized priorities of accountability, dignity for retirees, and a city budget that reflects the values of working New Yorkers.

“Our city today is booming for people at the top, but it’s getting tougher and tougher for working families to pay their rent, to find a job with a living wage, and yes Mr. Mayor, to find childcare they can afford,” Levine said. “A comptroller must use the tools of the office to close this gap. And I will.”

Levine also celebrated New York’s diversity and unity, noting the significance of the moment: “On these steps today we are swearing in our first Muslim mayor together with a Christian public advocate and a Jewish comptroller. I am proud to live in a city where this is possible.”

He reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that all New Yorkers feel safe and respected in their daily lives and in their expressions of faith. “We will seek to understand each other,” he said. “Though we will not always see the world the same way, we can and must ensure that all New Yorkers feel safe and respected, whether they are entering a house of worship, lighting a menorah in public, or saying the salah prayer anywhere in this city.”

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