Martha Stark

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Martha Stark is the Finance Commissioner of New York City. A tax attorney, she has served as Finance Commissioner in the Cabinet of Mayor Michael Bloomberg since 2002. She previously worked for the Manhattan Borough President and for the Finance Department before becoming commissioner.

In January 2007, she applied to the New York State Legislature for election to the vacant office of New York State Comptroller, following the resignation of former Comptroller Alan Hevesi. She testified before the Legislature and the search committee and was selected as one of three finalists by the search committee consisting of former State Comptroller Edward Regan, former State Comptroller Carl McCall and former New York City Comptroller Harrison J. Goldin. State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, upset that a member of the Assembly was not on the finalist list, announced that the new comptroller would not come off the list of finalists and would be an assemblymember.

On Feb. 7, 2007 when the Legislature voted, Stark was one of two names put into nomination, along with Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli of Long Island, Silver's choice. The final vote was 150 for DiNapoli and 56 for Stark. Stark's main support came from Democrats in the Senate, along with Republicans in both chambers. Stark's support in the Senate implies she had backing from Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Lt. Gov. David Paterson. Spitzer and Paterson both announced they preferred a comptroller being chosen off the list of finalists.

[edit] Legislators that Voted for Martha Stark for State Comptroller