As a senior reporter, Jeff writes stories and develops other content for the magazine, with a particular focus on New York City. He often represents City & State in public, emceeing events, speaking on panels and appearing on TV and radio. Jeff previously worked at NY1 and at Bronx-based public radio station WFUV, where he won awards for collegiate newscasting from The Associated Press and Public Radio News Directors Inc. Jeff graduated in 2015 from Fordham University, where he studied political science, theology and Italian food. Born and raised in Phoenix, Jeff now lives in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

James Ford is a general assignment reporter for PIX11 News.

James joined WPIX in 2007, serving as the lead live reporter for the PIX11 Morning News, covering breaking news and feature stories.

Prior to his position at WPIX, James was a reporter for six years at WNYW Fox 5 in New York, where his reporting on September 11 was the subject of the documentary Dreams Without Sleep, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002.

James, an Emmy Award-winning reporter, began his television career at WTOC-TV in Savannah, Ga., where he was a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor. He later moved to WFTV in Orlando, Fla. He was the station’s Space Coast bureau chief, responsible for reporting all types of news in Brevard County, which is called Florida’s Space Coast.

In that position, he also field-anchored coverage of 41 space shuttle launches at the Kennedy Space Center. James’ next move was to WRTV in Indianapolis, where he anchored the morning news and was a consumer investigative reporter.

James is proud to have grown up in an Air Force family, having lived in six states and Great Britain. He and his family live in Manhattan.

James is a graduate of Yale University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He also studied Arabic at the International Language Institute of Cairo.

Brian Benjamin was born in Harlem to an immigrant mother who had come to this country with hopes for a better future for her son. Brian has always believed in New York City as a place where anybody can achieve their dreams, and after earning a degree in Public Policy from Brown and a Master’s in Business from Harvard, Brian returned to Harlem to start his career.

Brian gained crucial insight into financial management by working as an investment advisor at Morgan Stanley before deciding to apply his skillset for the greater public good. Working at a minority-owned business to build affordable housing, Brian helped create over one thousand affordable and environmentally sustainable units, all while helping young people develop work skills and secure good construction jobs through community youth programs.

Brian served as Chair of his Community Board before being elected to represent Harlem and the Upper West Side in the State Senate in 2017. In the Senate, Brian serves as Chair of the Budget and Revenues Committee and has distinguished himself as a leader in criminal justice reform and tenant protections. Brian sponsored a bill to prevent landlords from drastically increasing rent on rent-stabilized apartments, and he successfully fought to divest New York's public pension funds from for-profit prisons.

With his own parents retired on a pension, Brian knows how critically important the role of Comptroller is. He is ready to apply his passion for making our city a just and affordable place to live and his financial expertise to benefit all New Yorkers.

Brian lives with his wife and daughter in Harlem.

Brad Lander is a member of the New York City Council, representing the 39th District in Brooklyn. He serves as the Council’s Deputy Leader for Policy, and was a co-founder of the Council’s Progressive Caucus. His hard-hitting policy reports and innovative legislation have helped win protections against unfair firings, combat wage theft for independent contractors, and hold reckless drivers accountable. Brad’s background in community organizing and urban planning informs his work to make government work better for all New Yorkers.

Zach Iscol is a business, non-profit and combat-tested leader who lives in Manhattan with his wife, four children, and three rescue dogs. Zach is the founder of Headstrong, one of the largest and leading providers of mental healthcare in the United States, and served as a Captain in the U.S. Marines Corps during the most contentious moments of the Iraq war.

Michelle Caruso-Cabrera is a national award-winning news reporter and television anchor, who spent decades investigating and reporting on economic crises from locations around the globe as Chief International Correspondent for the TV news network CNBC. Michelle is running for New York City Comptroller to lead an equitable and vibrant recovery as the city emerges from the pandemic, and ensure that city spending is fully focused on delivering high-quality services for New Yorkers.

State Senator Kevin S. Parker is a prominent New York State Legislator who is distinguished as a savvy strategist, brilliant intellectual and an elder statesman. From the moment he was seated in the New York State Senate in 2002, his political prowess was evident and resulted in a meteoric rise through the ranks. He is the 5th Ranking Democrat in Senate leadership. Having the trust and respect of his colleagues, Senator Parker was appointed Majority Whip and serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy & Telecommunications with the added distinction of being its longest serving member.

A fierce champion of economic development, education, energy, domestic violence issues and human and civil rights, Senator Parker represents the intrinsically diverse 21st Senate District in Brooklyn. Senator Parker has grown up and spent his entire life in Brooklyn and is a product of the New York City Public School system, having attended P.S. 193, Andries Hudde I.S. 240, and Midwood High School.

He is a leading voice nationwide on energy matters, as well as the creator and primary sponsor of Intersolar Summit Northeast, the largest solar energy conference on the East Coast, which gathers experts in the field to discuss real solutions for bringing about a solar energy future.

With a strong background in the financial services arena, Senator Parker gained invaluable experience in the world of finance at UBS PaineWebber where he worked in government affairs of the Chairman’s office and focused on broad issues of importance to the financial service industry. As Project Manager with the New York State Urban Development Corporation, he financed women and minority-owned businesses and promoted community business redevelopment.

An experienced educator, Senator Parker has been a professor of both African-American Studies and Political Science at several CUNY and SUNY colleges. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Service from Penn State and holds a Master of Science Degree from the New School for Social Research in Urban Policy and Management. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Political Science at The Graduate Center, CUNY. He is a proud member of the Alpha Chapter of the Pi Eta Honor Society and is often quoted as saying: “Bring good into the world and let no good be lost.”

Terri grew up on Long Island and moved to NYC in 1986 to attend Barnard College. She graduated with an A.B. in Economics, made the Dean’s List, chaired the Economics Society, and played varsity volleyball for Columbia University. After working for a year as legal assistant in a law firm, she attended New York University and received an M.A. in Economics. When Terri graduated from NYU, it was the early 90s, and she was fortunate to receive a job offer from The Port Authority of NY & NJ. She was hired as an economic analyst, and her responsibilities included: monitoring monetary policy, researching new leading economic indicators, and performing statistical analysis of capital investments. It was at The Port Authority that she learned the interplay between macroeconomics and government policy. In September 1994, she received a Dean’s Merit Scholarship to attend Brooklyn Law School and graduated with a J.D. in 1997. As a young attorney, Terri worked at two law firms. First, as an associate in a litigation department where her focus was on learning how to resolve complex court cases. Second, as an associate in an investment management and broker-dealer regulatory practice. In this role, she guided broker-dealers and asset management firms on how to comply with state and federal financial rules and regulations. Terri has two sons. When she and husband started their family, she knew she wanted to continue her career, but also understood that the demands of a law firm were inconsistent with how she wanted to raise her family. She therefore decided to join the legal department of a German savings bank, WestLB AG. Soon thereafter, WestLB formed a global asset management joint venture with Mellon Financial (soon to be Bank of New York Mellon), and she was promoted to Chief Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. At WestLB Mellon Asset Management, she was responsible (and accountable) for all legal and compliance matters in the United States, including providing advice on regulatory matters under the US securities laws. Since then, Terri has spent 15 years serving as the chief legal and chief compliance officer for three multi-strategy private investment firms based in New York City. Together with her teams, she was responsible for negotiating investment terms on behalf of investors, including state, local, and union pension plans, performing legal and regulatory due diligence on underlying investment managers and investments, developing and implementing audit programs that tested and monitored expenses and third-party contracts, and overseeing all regulatory registrations, filings, and staff training. Terri’s entire professional experience has centered around integrity, transparency, and accuracy. The firms she worked for managed and invested money on behalf of investors, including state, city, and union pension plans. For years, she has negotiated terms for their investments and their contracts with third-party service providers. She has developed and put in place audit programs to test and monitor expenses. Finally, it was her job to make sure they complied with rules, regulations, and ethical standards. Terri is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a class mom of the 7th grade at the Browning School (her sons’ school), a Member of the NYC Bar Compliance Committee, and a Barnard student mentor.

Reshma Patel is a candidate for New York City Comptroller. Reshma is a public finance expert with over 18 years of experience, 8 of which were as financial advisor to the NYC Comptroller’s office.

Reshma serves as Vice-Chair of Manhattan Community Board 6 budget committee and serves as President of the Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club. Reshma serves as board co-chair of Chhaya Community Development Corporation in Queens advocating for immigrant communities. She is a supporter of the arts and serves on the board of Dance/NYC helping create a more diverse dance ecosystem in NYC. She has spearheaded the creation of a scholarship program for survivors of domestic violence with Sakhi NYC.

Reshma believes democracy only works if everyone participates and civics and financial education are key components to creating equity. She promotes civic engagement as a volunteer with the League of Women Voters NYC and is also a volunteer financial literacy teacher.

Reshma is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is vice president of programming for the MIT South Asian Alumni Association.

Assemblymember David Weprin is a lifelong New Yorker, born and raised in Queens, the son of a Cuban Jewish immigrant mother and Brooklyn-born father. He has dedicated his life to public service because he believes that with everything New Yorkers have been through, it’s about time someone stood up for us. In the City Council and State Assembly, he passed groundbreaking legislation to help seniors, children, and middle-class families. Now, with the City going through the worst financial crisis in history, he is the only candidate running for Comptroller with the relevant finance experience to get us through and emerge stronger than before. David is running to be our next City Comptroller to stand up for working and middle-class New Yorkers, protect pensions and get us back on track.

In 2018 Corey Johnson was elected by his peers to serve as Speaker of the New York City Council. This followed his re-election in 2017 to represent Council District 3, which includes the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Flatiron, West SoHo, Hudson Square, the Meatpacking District, Columbus Circle, Times Square, the Theater District, the Garment District and part of the Upper West Side.

Raised in a union household where his mother, a homeless services provider, and his father, a Teamster, instilled in him the values of community service and political engagement, Corey came to national attention in 1999 when, as the captain of his high school football team, he took the courageous step of coming out publicly as gay. Corey’s actions landed him on the front page of the New York Times and he began telling his story to audiences of young people across the country. He moved to New York City at 19 and entered public service as an activist, first for LGBTQ causes and then expanding to issues like tenant advocacy. He went on to serve as chairperson of Manhattan’s Community Board 4, becoming the youngest person to chair a community board in the five boroughs.

Corey has earned a reputation as a tenacious advocate for all New Yorkers and as a leader who builds consensus at City Hall. In his first year as Speaker he lead the council in passing 165 of pieces of legislation, making 2018 one of the most active and productive starts to a Council session in recent memory. Under Corey’s leadership the Council passed some of the strictest sexual harassment prevention legislation in the country, expanded services for homeless and runaway youth, took serious steps to address pay inequity across racial and gender lines, introduced legislation to protect tenants and make New York City more affordable for all, passed regulations for the for-hire vehicle industry, and secured funding for Fair Fares, a program that would provide half price metro-cards to low-income New Yorkers, all while increasing the City’s financial reserves.

In 2019, the Council continued its work to improve the lives of New Yorkers and plan responsibly for our City’s future. Last Year Speaker Johnson shepherded the passage of the Climate Mobilization Act, one of the most ambitious and innovative legislative initiatives any major city has ever considered to combat the existential threat of climate change. Under his guidance, the Council also passed bills that crack down on placard abuse, strengthen the city’s lead testing and reporting requirements, and help small businesses. Other big achievements in 2019 included legislation that makes Hart Island, the city’s public burial ground, more accessible to the families of those buried there; the Streets Master Plan, which is designed to revolutionize the city’s streetscape; and the bill to close Rikers Island and replace it with a more humane justice system.

In Council District 3, Corey has brought people together to achieve many long-sought community goals, including the creation of the first new public park in East Chelsea in decades, the creation and preservation of thousands of units of affordable housing and the saving of Hartley House, a 121-year-old community services center.

Also In 2019, following the election of then-Public Advocate Letitia James to Attorney General, Corey also assumed the role of acting Public Advocate. As Acting Public Advocate Corey launched two citywide transit surveys to hear directly from straphangers about the state of the City’s subways and buses, oversaw the creation of a city-wide evictions tracking map, launched a digital school explorer to help parents navigate the elementary school system, and conducted oversight of the 311 system.

Corey believes elected officials should always be fighting to do the most good for the people who need it most, and will never stop working to make life better for all New Yorkers.