showed independence by being the only candidate to endorse legislation that will create a new level of pension benefits for future retirees, with the goal of reducing taxpayer costs. This is the kind of leadership that the future comptroller must exhibit to help the city get through the recession. (Full disclosure:Yassky’s campaign rents separate office space from New York Press’ parent company, Manhattan Media.) Yassky has an evenhanded approach to managing the city’s $83 billion pension fund. He understands the need to have a diverse portfolio that will protect the pensioners and taxpayers when the economy suffers. His idea to invest in biotechnological companies as an alternative is not reckless, like some of his opponents’ plans.

Yassky’s campaign also posted the city’s budget and member items on a website, www.ItsYourMoneyNYC.com. While this information is already online, it is buried in the Council’s website and has never been presented in a format that regular New Yorkers can read easily and understand.

The other three candidates—Queens Council members John Liu, David Weprin and Melinda Katz—are qualified. Katz has too many connections to the real estate industry, and her plan to use pension funds to invest in viable but debt-strapped businesses is irresponsible. Liu will surely bring the same tenacity to the comptroller’s duties as he does to Council committee hearings, but we’re concerned he’ll be too focused on using the office as a bully pulpit. Weprin, though he has the financial expertise, lacks a broader vision for the office.

Yassky is a well-rounded candidate who can balance experience with leadership, and we endorse him in the Democratic primary for comptroller.

Public Advocate: Bill de Blasio

Each of the candidates running for this office brings something to the table when it comes to being the city’s ombudsman. But Brooklyn Council Member Bill de Blasio has the most far-reaching vision for this office, and the most detailed plans for executing that vision on a shoestring budget.

De Blasio plans to leverage the public advocate’s meager resources by working with organizations like Transportation Alternatives and the Brennan Center for Justice, at New York University Law School.

Through the public advocate’s appointee to the City Planning Commission, he pledges to be an aggressive watchdog on development, making sure that affordable housing, landmarks and neighborhood context are given adequate consideration in the approval process. We also like his promise to examine the “consultant” culture at the Department of Education, as well as the proliferation of testing under Schools Chancellor Joel Klein’s leadership.

The other candidates in this race certainly have their attractive qualities. Mark Green, New York’s first public advocate, has a long and distinguished record of challenging the powers that be, but he seems too focused on the past to enact a forward-looking agenda. Norman Siegel likewise has an impressive resume as a civil rights lawyer, but he has run a lackluster campaign and we aren’t convinced that he will most effectively execute the public advocate’s duties. And Queens Council Member Eric Gioia has become an effective and vocal advocate for constituents, but we feel he’s spending too much time touting his history, rather than detailing plans for the office.

There are, however, a few reservations about de Blasio’s candidacy. If elected, he’ll be tasked with policing the large swath of elected officials and unions that have en dorsed his bid for office; we hope this doesn’t make him too cozy to be an effective independent check on city government. And we feel that de Blasio should be more proactive in addressing the questionable services provided to his campaign by the Working Families Party and its for profit company, Data Field Services (a series of stories in our sister publication, City Hall, highlighted some serious questions).

Still, de Blasio strikes us as the candidate most ready to hit the ground running in January, and we endorse him in the Democratic primary for public advocate.

Manhattan District Attorney: Leslie Crocker Snyder

This year’s race to be Manhattan district attorney is a historic one. The winner will succeed Robert Morgenthau, the legendary prosecutor who was sworn into office in 1974. The Manhattan district attorney’s office is the most important prosecutorial body in the country. It has far-reaching jurisdiction that has successfully tried complex white-collar crimes, international crime, governmental fraud and violent murderers and attacks. The district attorney needs experience in trying such cases, as well as the vision and management skills necessary to better prevent and target criminal activity.

All three candidates—Leslie Crocker Snyder, Cyrus Vance, Jr. and Richard Aborn—are well qualified. They have detailed similar plans for the office, including implementing a community-based justice system, improving technology in the office and minimizing and addressing wrongful convictions. But we feel that Snyder has the experience and drive to follow through with these plans while being an able prosecutor.

Snyder has varied and lengthy experience as an assistant district attorney, a judge in New York State’s Supreme and Criminal courts and a defense lawyer.

In 2005, she had the courage to challenge Morgenthau in the Democratic primary. The move was potential political suicide, and we endorsed Morgenthau in that race, but we feel that her courage to take on such a popular figure and highlight the office’s flaws demonstrates the kind of gumption Manhattan’s next D.A. needs.

With a three-decade long background in criminal justice, we feel confident in her plans to open a Second Look Bureau to prevent and rectify wrongful convictions, train assistant district attorneys to better prosecute white-collar crimes and manage one of the largest criminal justice offices in the country.

Her opponents are also qualified for the position.Vance is an able prosecutor, but we are concerned that his ties to Morgenthau— his biggest supporter—would not be broken. Aborn’s work on gun-control laws and crime prevention are exemplary, but his ideas are lofty.

We are, however, concerned about the negative tone Snyder has brought to the campaign in recent weeks. The district attorney needs to show public restraint.

But we feel that once elected, Snyder will be a fair-minded and tough prosecutor. We endorse Snyder in the Democratic primary for Manhattan district attorney.

City Council District 1: Jin “P.J.” Kim

This district—which includes the Lower East Side, Chinatown, Battery Park City, Tribeca and the Financial District—has seen some of the most intense development (as well as conflicts) since Councilmember Alan Gerson took office in eight years ago. While the incumbent has tried to effect change during his tenure—and remains supportive of many progressive developments affecting nightlife, affordable housing and schools—there have been too many stalled projects, divisive decisions and a lack of leadership or vision to benefit the area’s diverse populations.That is why we feel it is time for a new era in Downtown politics, and why we support Jin “P.J.” Kim for City Council District 1.We applaud Margaret Chin, the most seasoned competitor in the race, who has spent close to 40 years as an activist for many of the neighborhoods, but we feel she is still mired in the politics of the past. Kim, a South Korean immigrant with degrees from Princeton and Harvard Business School, is the face of the changing district. Although he has lived in the district for a smaller amount of time than the other candidates, he has broad knowledge of the issues facing many of the residents and brings a professional and disciplined approach to fixing these problems. He’s worked in the private sector and recently used his skills to assist antipoverty programs. Many of the historic rifts between ethnic and economic factions stand a chance to be reconciled with Kim, a new face in local politics whom we feel has a long and bright future ahead of him. We wholeheartedly endorse PJ Kim for City Council District 1.

City Council District 3: Christine Quinn

Traditionally an area of Manhattan known for progressive politics, especially involving gay and lesbian issues, City Council’s District 3 has also seen record development and improvement of services. Although some constituents feel incumbent Christine Quinn is detached from the daily issues affecting the West Village, Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen due to her duties as City Council Speaker, we feel that Quinn has served her district well, using her considerable clout to negotiate and broker deals that have benefited the area.We cannot ignore the controversies of Quinn’s tenure, first the slush fund scandal (wherein city funds were allocated to fake non-profits) and most recently supporting Mayor Michael Bloomberg in overturning the city’s term-limit law without a public referendum. If Quinn had acted differently regarding term limits, her competitors in the race would have little to criticize her for. While Quinn appears tooclosely aligned with the mayor these days, she is not afraid to come out against him in vocal ways and we feel she remains the strongest advocate for her district, as well as the city as a whole.We still see a great many positives in Quinn’s time in office. She remains one of the most powerful voices in New York politics and her activism continues; Quinn has spent a great deal of time lobbying for marriage equality with State Senators. Since it appears Mayor Bloomberg’s hope for a lasting legacy rests in West Side development—both with the Hudson Yards and extension of the No. 7 train line—we want Quinn to weigh-in on these issues.We admire the achievements of the two women who have challenged her in the race, especially Yetta Kurland, whom we hope to see run for office again.We feel that Christine Quinn’s pragmatism and skills will serve her district and the city best at this critical juncture, and we endorse her for re-election.

In the interest of full disclosure, readers should also know that earlier this year, Manhattan Media—the parent company of Manhattan Newspaper Group, publishers of New York Press, Our Town, West Side Spirit, Chelsea Clinton News and The Westsider—formed a separate company called Madison Square Partners, LLC, an ad placement consulting firm for clients that include political campaigns. Clients include Michael Bloomberg, Norman Siegel, Cyrus Vance Jr. and David Weprin. In order to separate the business interests of Madison Square Partners, any individuals involved with that division were not included in the endorsement process. Endorsement decisions were based on candidates’ records, proposals and on-site interviews conducted collectively by the editorial board of the Manhattan Newspaper Group.