LIU APPOINTS BRONXITE ARI HOFFNUNG AS DEPUTY COMPTROLLER FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS

City Comptroller John C. Liu today announced the appointment of Ari Hoffnung as Deputy Comptroller for Public Affairs. Hoffnung, who most recently served as Assistant Comptroller of Budget & Chief Policy Officer, will assume his new role on December 19th. He replaces Alan van Capelle who is departing the Comptroller’s Office.

“Ari has been a consistent and constant driving force on some of our office’s highest priority initiatives over the past two years, and he's proven to execute with precision,” Comptroller Liu said. “Ari also shares my deep commitment to public service and improving city government. I’ve no doubt he will excel even more as part of my leadership team.”

“I am honored and humbled for this opportunity,” Hoffnung said. “I look forward to helping to build on Comptroller Liu’s accomplishments and highlighting the great work of the Comptroller’s Office.”

Hoffnung will oversee all operations pertaining to the Public Affairs Bureau of the New York City Comptroller’s Office, which includes the Community Action Center, Public Affairs, and Communications
departments. He will also retain his oversight of the Comptroller’s Policy Bureau. As Deputy Comptroller for Public Affairs, Hoffnung will serve as a chief advisor to Comptroller Liu on all matters involving public policy, intergovernmental, media and community relations.

Deputy Comptroller Hoffnung currently serves as Comptroller Liu’s representative at the Office of Payroll Administration (OPA) and the Financial Information Services Agency (FISA), where he played an integral role in ending the runaway spending associated with the CityTime project.  In addition to FISA and OPA, Hoffnung also serves as Comptroller Liu’s representative on the New York City Banking Commission.

Hoffnung currently manages the division responsible for the budget, policy, and corporate governance functions of the Comptroller’s Office. He has been a driving force on many of Comptroller Liu’s initiatives, including Checkbook NYC, which gives the public online access to the City’s $66 billion in annual expenditures, and Pension NYC, which provides unparalleled access to information pertaining to the $109 billion New York City pension funds.

In addition, he spearheaded the Comptroller’s “Retirement Security NYC”, a major initiative to protect the retirement security of public employees while ensuring the City’s financial health.

Prior to joining Comptroller Liu’s Administration, Deputy Comptroller Hoffnung served as Chief of Staff to then-City Councilman Simcha Felder, and was a Managing Director at Bear Stearns where he worked for more than a decade.

Hoffnung holds an MBA in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from Queens College.  He resides in the Riverdale section of the Bronx with his wife and two children.

Ari Hoffnung joins  Comptroller Liu's team of Deputy Comptrollers, consisting of First Deputy Eric Eve, Simcha Felder (accountancy and budget), Tina Kim (audit), Carol Kostik (public finance), Ricardo Morales (legal affairs, General Counsel), Larry Schloss (pensions, Chief Investment Officer), and Geneith Turnbull (contracts and procurement).