David Yassky for New York City Comptroller

Meet David Yassky

David Yassky is a lifelong progressive Democrat who has built his career by aggressively standing up for our values and consistently working to make our government more accountable, open and honest.

Early in his career, David served as a budget analyst for New York City’s Office of Management and Budget, where he developed a comprehensive understanding of the city’s arcane budgeting process and real knowledge on how the city spends taxpayers’ money.

David then attended Yale Law School, and after a clerkship with Judge Stanley Sporkin of the United States District Court, he accepted a position on Capitol Hill with then-Representative Chuck Schumer.

As Chief Counsel to the House Subcommittee on Crime, David helped draft and enact the Brady Law, the Assault Weapons Ban, the Violence Against Women Act and numerous other critical pieces of Federal legislation. These common-sense laws have helped saved countless lives by keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and protecting women against domestic violence.

After serving under Representative Schumer, David joined the private sector, practicing corporate law and working with major financial institutions on complex regulatory and legal issues. He has also worked as a Law Professor at Brooklyn and New York University Law Schools.

David was elected to the New York City Council in 2001, winning an upset victory. Since joining the City Council, David has earned a reputation as one of the Council's leading advocates for education reform, budget reform, affordable housing, enhanced government accountability, crime prevention and the environment.

David’s legislative achievements in the City Council include:

Creating thousands of jobs by passing the Film Industry Job Creation Act;
Successfully advocating for a plan to make Downtown Brooklyn the City’s third major business district;
Creating the Industrial Jobs Retention program to fund dedicated, low-cost space for manufacturing firms;
Passing the Gun Industry Responsibility Act, holding hold gun manufacturers and dealers liable when their reckless sales practices result in the injury of a New Yorker;
Drafting of and passing the Waterfront Planning Act, which the New York City League of Conservation Voters called "the most important piece of waterfront legislation adopted by the City in recent years";
Creating NYC’s innovative program for clean-fuel taxicabs that got hybrid cabs on the road;
Suing Exxon-Mobil to force a cleanup of the Greenpoint oil spill;
Creating thousands of new moderately priced apartments through his Affordable Housing Zoning Initiative.

David did his undergraduate work at Princeton University, where he received his AB degree in Public Policy with a concentration in Politics and Economics. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Diana, and their daughters Susan and Margaret.