If you are a New York City voter, you already know who the mayor is. But on the same ballot — and especially in the June 23, 2026 primary now approaching — you will also be asked to choose a Comptroller, a Public Advocate, and a Borough President. These three citywide and boroughwide offices wield real power over how the city audits its money, hears its residents’ complaints, and plans its neighborhoods, yet they are among the least understood positions in city government. This guide explains what each office actually does, where its authority comes from in the New York City Charter, and why your vote for these roles matters.
A reminder for the calendar: New York City’s next citywide primary is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23, 2026, with an early voting period running June 13 through June 21, 2026, according to the New York City Board of Elections. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Early voting is not yet active as of this writing, but it is on the near horizon. You can confirm dates, check your registration, and find your poll site at vote.nyc.
The three offices on your ballot
New York City has exactly three offices elected by every voter across all five boroughs: the Mayor, the Comptroller, and the Public Advocate. Borough President is a fourth important office, but it is elected by the voters of a single borough rather than the whole city. Together, the Comptroller, Public Advocate, and Borough President form a system of checks, oversight, and local representation that operates alongside the Mayor and the City Council. Below, each office is explained in alphabetical order.
Borough President
Each of the five boroughs — the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island — elects its own Borough President. While the office has fewer hard powers than it held before the City Charter revisions of the late 1980s and 1990s, it remains a meaningful voice in two areas that shape daily life: land use and the capital budget.
On land use, the Borough President is a formal participant in the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, known as ULURP. When a development project, zoning change, or other land-use application moves through the city’s review pipeline, the Borough President has 30 days to review the application and submit a recommendation or waiver. That review window begins once the local community board submits its recommendation, or at the end of the community board’s 60-day review period if the board does not act. The City Charter requires each Borough President to maintain a planning office dedicated to the growth, improvement, and development of the borough and to reviewing proposals for the use of land.
On money, the Borough President controls a slice of the city’s capital budget. Five percent of total City capital appropriations is allotted among the five Borough Presidents for use within their boroughs, distributed by a formula that weighs each borough’s population and geographic area equally. By March 10 each year, Borough Presidents submit their capital and expense budget allocations and modifications to the Mayor for inclusion in the Executive Budget.
The Borough President also appoints the members of the borough’s community boards to two-year terms, administers training for community board members, and chairs the Borough Board and the Borough Service Cabinet. The Borough Board — made up of the Borough President, the City Council members representing the borough, and the chairs of the borough’s community boards — can initiate and review borough plans and prepare a statement of capital budget priorities for the borough.
Comptroller
The Comptroller is the city’s independently elected Chief Financial Officer. Because the office is elected separately from the Mayor, it serves as an independent check on city spending. Its authority spans auditing, pension management, contract review, debt issuance, and the settlement of claims.
As the city’s Chief Auditor, the Comptroller is required to audit every city agency at least once every four years. These audits examine agency operations and evaluate city initiatives across areas such as affordable housing, public education, public benefits, and homeless services. The Comptroller’s Office also reviews all city contracts, examining each one to confirm the city has the money to pay its obligations and that the award process was free of corruption.
Perhaps the office’s largest financial responsibility is pension oversight. The Comptroller is the investment adviser to and custodian of the assets of the city’s five public pension funds, which provide retirement security for more than 700,000 current and former city employees. The Comptroller also serves as a trustee of four of those five funds. Beyond pensions, the office oversees the issuance of municipal bonds, helping the city borrow responsibly for long-term projects.
Finally, the Comptroller holds claims and settlement authority. The office may settle claims against or on behalf of the city before a lawsuit is filed, and it has final settlement authority at any stage of litigation involving a monetary component. In short, the Comptroller is the office charged with safeguarding the city’s long-term fiscal health and ensuring public resources are used efficiently and with integrity.
Public Advocate
The Public Advocate functions as a citywide ombudsman — a watchdog for residents dealing with city government. The duties of the office are laid out in Section 24 of the City Charter. The Public Advocate provides oversight of city agencies, investigates residents’ complaints about city services, and makes proposals to address shortcomings or failures in those services.
The office carries several appointment and board responsibilities. The Public Advocate sits on the committee that selects the director of the New York City Independent Budget Office, appoints one member to the City Planning Commission, and serves as chair of the Commission on Public Information and Communication, established by Section 1061 of the Charter.
The Public Advocate also occupies a key place in the city’s line of succession. If the Mayor is suspended, temporarily unable to serve, or absent from the city, the powers and duties of the mayoralty devolve first upon the Public Advocate, then the Comptroller. In the event of a permanent vacancy in the mayoralty — through resignation, removal, death, or permanent inability to serve — the same order of succession applies until a new Mayor is elected. This makes the Public Advocate first in line to step into the city’s top job under defined circumstances. Before a 2002 Charter revision, the Public Advocate also served as the presiding officer of the City Council; that function has since changed.
Why these offices matter to your vote
It is easy to focus only on the race at the top of the ballot. But the Comptroller decides how rigorously the city’s books are audited and how hundreds of billions of dollars in pension assets are managed. The Public Advocate determines how loudly residents’ complaints are amplified and how aggressively agencies are held to account — and stands first in the mayoral line of succession. The Borough President shapes what gets built in your neighborhood and where borough capital dollars flow. These are not ceremonial posts; they are working offices with defined powers under the City Charter.
Because New York City uses ranked-choice voting in its primary elections for these municipal offices, understanding how to rank your choices is worth a few minutes of preparation before you vote. For a full walkthrough, see our explainer on how ranked-choice voting works in NYC. And when you are ready to cast your ballot, our guide to finding your polling site, early voting, and mail ballots covers everything you need to show up prepared.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Comptroller elected separately from the Mayor?
Yes. The Comptroller is one of three offices elected by all city voters, separate from the Mayor. This independence is by design, so the city’s Chief Financial Officer can serve as a check on city spending rather than answering to the Mayor.
What does the Public Advocate actually do?
The Public Advocate acts as a citywide ombudsman under Section 24 of the City Charter — overseeing city agencies, investigating complaints about city services, and proposing fixes. The office also appoints a member to the City Planning Commission and chairs the Commission on Public Information and Communication.
Who becomes Mayor if the Mayor cannot serve?
Under the City Charter, the powers and duties of the Mayor devolve first upon the Public Advocate and then the Comptroller, in that order, whether the situation is temporary (suspension, illness, absence) or a permanent vacancy, until a new Mayor is elected.
How much budget power does a Borough President have?
Five percent of the city’s total capital appropriations is allotted among the five Borough Presidents for use within their boroughs, distributed by a formula weighing population and geographic area. Borough Presidents submit their allocations to the Mayor by March 10 for inclusion in the Executive Budget.
Do Borough Presidents control land-use decisions?
Not unilaterally. Within the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), the Borough President has 30 days to review an application and submit a recommendation or waiver. The recommendation is advisory within a larger process that also involves the community board, the City Planning Commission, and the City Council.
When is the next NYC election for these offices?
New York City’s next citywide primary is Tuesday, June 23, 2026, with early voting from June 13 through June 21, 2026. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Confirm your registration, poll site, and the offices on your specific ballot at vote.nyc.
