NEW YORK—Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer stood at his office window at 1 Center St., looking down on City Hall.
“I keep a close watch on the mayor,” joked Stringer. “I can see his every move.”
In a couple of years, it might be Stringer walking in and out of the mayor’s office daily. He is “exploring the possibility of running for mayor in 2013.” While he is excited at the prospect of serving the city in a different capacity, he says focusing on his current role and filling it well is what will win him the mayoral seat.
When asked if he meets often with the mayor now, Stringer simply replied “not so much.”
He sat down, folded his hands, and proceeded to tell the Epoch Times his story.
His formative years
His political career started when he was just a boy. He helped campaign for his cousin, feminist icon, Congresswoman Bella Abzug. His mother ran for City Council in the 1970s when it was more difficult for female candidates, says Stringer, who was inspired by the strong women in his family.
“I had a front row seat to all of this, and I felt like everyone was involved in government and politics,” reflected Stringer. When asked about the ambitions of his youth, he responded that politics had always been on his radar.
As a teen in the 1970s, Stringer’s introduction to politics through his family was set against the backdrop of Richard Nixon’s impeachment and the divide over the war in Vietnam.
On a more local level, New York City was on the edge of bankruptcy and President Ford “told New York to drop dead,” recalled Stringer.
The Bronx was burning with a wave of arson, riots accompanied the 1977 blackout, and the serial killer Son of Sam terrorized the city. The young Stringer saw the city come out of it all, when elected officials and community groups came together.
On his role as borough president
As borough president, Stringer seems omnipresent. Press conferences, panels, and local events fill his day. His office regularly releases lengthy reports on issues ranging from vacant lots to farmers’ markets.
“It’s a busy day, but it’s a busy city,” said Stringer.
“In some ways, you’re like the local cop on the beat in an area that is home to 1.6 million people,” said Stringer of the Manhattan borough presidency. He said the role also has a much broader platform, because “quite frankly when we do something successful in New York and in Manhattan, it’s going to be heard around the world.”
It’s the “weight of the presidency,” said Stringer with a smirk.
With so many stakeholders under his jurisdiction, it is impossible to please everyone. Stringer recognizes that taking criticism is part of the job, and it doesn’t affect him too deeply.
In his 19 years in public office, he has realized that it is easy to take “as long as you know that you are doing the right thing, that your internal compass is going in a good direction.”
Raising a child in today’s NYC
Stringer’s busy day is about to get busier with his first child on the way. His wife, Elyse Buxbaum, is due to give birth in about a week.
Stringer’s roots are in Washington Heights, but his little one will grow up on the Upper West Side. Though the companions of his boyhood were diverse, Stringer is happy that his child will be even more of a global citizen.
“Imagine growing up in a city today where people speak 170 different languages from over 200 countries. Children born today, their global expectation is going to be enormous. I couldn’t imagine raising a child anywhere else.”
