HERNANDEZ MAKES FINAL CALL TO VOTERS, OFFERS A BUSINESSMAN OVER A CAREER POLITICIAN

 

On the eve of Election Day, Republican-Conservative Comptroller nominee Joseph Hernandez made a final appeal to New Yorkers. He urged them to vote Tuesday and to put a businessman in charge of the state’s money after 19 years of a career politician.

 

Hernandez will spend the final day of the race on the “Safer and More Affordable Tour” with the Republican ticket. The tour makes stops on Long Island and in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Binghamton.

 

“My family crossed the Florida Strait on a fishing boat with nothing but hope,” said Hernandez. “We came to a country where a Cuban kid could study science, build companies and now ask for your vote. My family left a place where your vote didn’t count. Here, it does. Whether you vote for me or not, please vote.”

 

Hernandez came to the United States from Cuba at age seven during the Mariel Boatlift. He earned five degrees from the University of Florida, Yale, and Oxford. Over a 28-year career he founded 12 companies, took five public and created thousands of jobs. He has never held office.

 

As Comptroller, Hernandez will:

• Launch a $10 billion Empire Opportunity Fund to bring business back to New York.
• Run the $310 billion pension fund for profits, not politics. Polling found 71% of New Yorkers want exactly that.
• Cut Wall Street fees by managing more assets in-house, following the CalPERS model.
• Launch a Fraud Strike Team with local, state, and federal prosecutors to go after anyone who steals from taxpayers, elected officials included.
• Audit every dollar given to the MTA and hold it accountable for subway safety.
• Return New York’s roughly $21 billion in unclaimed funds within his first year.
• Modernize the comptroller's office to speed up retiree cases and final pension calculations.
• Stop backdoor borrowing, with no new state debt or debt-cap exclusions without voter approval.

Tom DiNapoli has held the office since 2007. He is running on the Working Families Party line and endorsed Zohran Mamdani. Pension fund manager fees reached $862 million on his watch. Law firms doing business with the fund have given his campaigns $840,000. His own office’s audit found $14.5 billion in Medicaid payments lacked matching visit records.

 

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Hernandez appears on Rows B and C. Voters can find their polling place at elections.ny.gov.