William C. Thompson, Jr.

As Comptroller of New York City from 2002 through 2009, Bill Thompson was responsible for managing the finances of the nation's largest municipality and supervised a staff of 700 professionals. As a lifelong Democrat and the city's top financial watchdog, he oversaw the city's $100 billion pension fund and made crucial investments in affordable housing for lower- and middle-class families.Because of a last-minute change to the city's charter revision law, Bill was given the opportunity to run for a third term in 2009. He chose not to violate the two-term limit put in place by the voters, announcing that he would run for Mayor of New York City instead. As the Democratic nominee, Bill was outspent 14 to 1 and still came within just a few percentage points of unseating a lavishly self-financed incumbent.A product of New York City's public schools, Bill has a deep understanding of the needs of both students and educators. As the head of the Board of Education for five terms, he oversaw a school system with 1.1 million students and 130,000 employees. He has been a persistent champion of meaningful accountability, more extensive after-school programs, an expanded arts curriculum, and higher standards of teaching.More recently, Bill served as Chairman of the Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority, and is also Chair of Governor Cuomo's Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Team, which seeks to promote economic opportunities and eliminate barriers for minority- and women-owned businesses.In addition to his eight years of service as a citywide executive, Bill has valuable private sector experience. He currently serves as the Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Managing Director at Siebert, Brandford, Shank & Co. LLC, the nation's largest minority public finance firm, where he leads efforts to underwrite loans for schools, roads, bridges and infrastructure projects.A son of Bedford-Stuyvesant who moved to Manhattan in 2008 after a lifetime in Brooklyn, Bill is proud of what he calls his dual citizenship. He lives in Harlem with his wife, Elsie McCabe Thompson, and two stepchildren. He is also the proud father of a grown daughter, Jennifer.