7 Questions With Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander

NEW YORK CITY — New York City's Comptroller, Brad Lander, a 55-year-old Democratic candidate, is running for mayor in New York City's primary election on Tuesday, June 24.

Lander, from Park Slope, has a background in urban planning and was first elected as a City Councilmember in District 39 in 2009, representing Park Slope, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Kensington, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, and the Columbia Waterfront.

In 2021, he was elected as the city's Comptroller.

Patch recently asked Lander seven questions about his campaign and district. See his replies below.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article contains information about one of several candidates who have announced their campaigns in the 2025 primary election. Patch has contacted the other candidates with the same questions and will post replies as they are received.

PATCH: Why are you running for Mayor?

LANDER: I love New York City. I’m running to solve the problems that families are struggling with. I want every family to have a home they can afford, in a neighborhood they feel safe in, with a great public school for their kids. And a City government they can trust.

As a dad, husband, City Councilmember, and Comptroller, I’ve dedicated my life to public service, building and saving tens of thousands of affordable homes, passing groundbreaking legislation to protect workers, and investing in our public schools (where we were grateful to send our kids).

As Comptroller, I’ve saved taxpayers over $2 billion, and managed the pension funds to their highest levels, while investing in climate solutions, good jobs, and record levels of affordable housing. I’ve canceled Eric Adams’ corrupt contracts and rejected his effort to force our retirees onto crappy health insurance. When Donald Trump and Elon Musk tried to steal $80 million in taxpayer money from our city, I uncovered it, and forced the Mayor to go to court to get it back.

As mayor, I’ll deliver a safer, more affordable, more livable, and better run city -- and fight like hell to protect us from Donald Trump.

PATCH: What sets you apart from the other candidates?

LANDER: I’m the candidate who best combines a bold progressive vision to make our city more affordable, a track record of public integrity, and the proven management experience to run a city of 8 million people.

PATCH: List two ways you plan to make New York more affordable.

LANDER: Unlike most politicians who give this issue lip service, I know what it takes to make housing affordable because I’ve actually done it. Before I was elected, I worked for 15 years as a nonprofit housing developer and advocate. I’ve financed, developed, or preserved over 50,000 homes, bringing people together to renovate abandoned buildings, redeveloping the area around the Gowanus Canal, and saving 35,000 rent stabilized units put at risk by the failure of Signature Bank.

As Mayor, I’ll put that experience to work. On Day 1, I will declare a state of emergency on the housing crisis – so we can cut through red tape, build 500,000 new units of housing – including creating vibrant new neighborhoods housing 50,000 homes on four of the City’s twelve municipal golf courses – and pathways to home ownership including an innovative program that will double the purchasing power of city workers.

I will do for New York City what I did for Gowanus: bring people together around a vision of growth that works for families and for our city, and then streamlining our land use process to make it happen. I will protect tenants from eviction and skyrocketing rents, and increase pathways to home ownership. I’ll fix our city’s broken housing agencies (HPD and NYCHA) to upend bureaucratic dysfunction and dramatically increase the pace of housing repair and development. I am the only candidate with the plan and the track record to get this done. Read my Plan to Solve the Housing Crisis and to Fix NYCHA, With NYCHA, For NYCHA.

The cost of child care is also out of control for families in New York City. So I will fulfill the promise of genuinely universal Pre-K and 3-K, work with New Yorkers United for Child Care to expand to 2-K, and deliver free, high-quality afterschool programming for K through 8th graders. Read my Child Care and Afterschool Solutions.

PATCH: List two ways you plan to make New York safer.

LANDER: Every New Yorker deserves to be safe and feel safe—whether on the subway, walking home at night, or sending their kids to school. Both our families’ and our city’s future depend on it. It’s time for an approach that restores mutual respect, trust, and accountability.

My number one campaign commitment is to end street homelessness for people with serious mental illness with a “Housing First” approach, which provides the roughly 2,000 people currently cycling between the city’s streets, subways, hospitals, and jails with supportive housing. Housing First combines existing supportive housing, SRO units, vouchers, and service dollars to get people off the street and directly into stable housing with wraparound services.

I will also make NYC safer by reducing crime and improving policing. I will restore trust and accountability by addressing hate crimes, retail theft, investing in community partnerships, and building safe neighborhoods.

New Yorkers expect accountability – for those who commit crimes, for officers who use excessive force, for corrupt leaders, and for officials who waste billions on programs that fail. I will keep Jessica Tisch as commissioner and will tackle the NYPD staffing crisis by filling all 35,000 budgeted positions through improved recruitment, retention, and job conditions. I’ll expand and diversify the Police Cadet Corps, remove unnecessary hiring barriers, reduce out-of-control overtime, and civilianize administrative roles to free up officers for core police work. Read my comprehensive Blueprint for Public Safety.

PATCH: What’s your plan to improve the subway system?

LANDER: I will deliver safe, reliable transit – including six-minute subway service. I was proud to help win congestion pricing; as Mayor, I’ll make sure we invest the funds it delivers in modern subway signals, new elevators, and on faster, cleaner, and safer subways and buses. Read my plan to Green Light NYC’s Transit System.

I’ll eliminate traffic crashes through recommitting the City to Vision Zero and holding reckless drivers accountable, address the chaos caused by the rapid increase in mopeds and truck delivery, and better manage the City’s curbs to cut down on traffic conflicts and congestion.

My #1 campaign commitment is to end street homelessness for people with serious mental illness through a “housing first” strategy which moves people directly from the street or subway into existing supportive housing units.

PATCH: ICE is cracking down on college campuses and immigrants in NYC. How will your administration respond?

LANDER: New York City is the greatest immigrant city the world has ever known, and I’ll fight like hell to keep it that way. I co-sponsored our sanctuary city laws. Last week, I accompanied three families out of immigration court hearings past ICE agents.

As Comptroller, I convened business and immigration leaders citywide, providing know-your-rights education for immigrants facing threats of deportation, analyzed the impacts of Trump’s policies on the economy and social services, and provided ongoing support to nonprofits to navigate funding uncertainty and protect essential services.

As Mayor, I’ll make sure New York City agencies do not cooperate with ICE’s efforts to remove our neighbors without due process. And I’ll expand legal resources, so New Yorkers don’t face deportation without representation. My administration will have no tolerance for Trump’s attacks on New Yorkers. New Yorkers won’t stand for it and neither will I.

PATCH: What’s one place in the city you frequent the most?

LANDER: Prospect Park is my favorite place on planet Earth.

Early voting begins on June 14. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.