ALBANY, NY — Today marks 19 years since Democrat Tom DiNapoli took office as New York State Comptroller. After nearly two decades, the size and cost of New York’s government have exploded, leaving taxpayers to bear the burden.
DiNapoli was first elected to the State Assembly in 1986 and, in 2007, was selected by his colleagues in the legislature to become State Comptroller following the resignation of Alan Hevesi amid a corruption scandal. Over the 19 years since, DiNapoli has certified Albany’s massive tax and spending increases, as the state budget grew from approximately $120.6 billion in 2007 to more than $252 billion in 2026 — a 210% increase, compared to roughly 60% inflation over the same period. As a result, state spending has grown at approximately 3.5 times the rate of inflation. This growth has far outpaced population and economic growth, leaving New York less affordable and fiscally unstable.
Additionally, under DiNapoli’s watch, higher taxes have made New York increasingly unaffordable for working families and small businesses, rising aggressively alongside unchecked spending. In the most recent fiscal year, the state collected $114.1 billion in taxes, nearly double the $58.5 billion collected in 2007, a burden DiNapoli allowed to fall on hardworking New Yorkers while failing to hold Albany accountable.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a prime example of the consequences of unchecked spending and failed oversight. Since 2007, the MTA’s operating budget has more than doubled, rising from $10.1 billion to over $21.3 billion in projected costs for 2026, even as service reliability continues to decline. Over the same period, MTA debt has ballooned from $25 billion in 2007 to $45 billion in the most recent audit, with the Comptroller’s office projecting that figure to soar to $87.2 billion by 2034. At the same time, the MTA paid a record $1.5 billion in employee overtime in 2025, while riders face repeated fare hikes and taxpayers are burdened with higher payroll taxes and new fees.
The New York State Comptroller is meant to serve as an independent fiscal watchdog: auditing waste, scrutinizing public programs, and acting as a check on runaway spending before budgets become law. Instead, under Tom DiNapoli, a consummate Albany insider who has spent nearly four decades in state government, that role has been reduced to a rubber stamp. Since becoming Comptroller in 2007, DiNapoli has consistently approved Albany’s massive tax and spending increases, presiding over an era of rapidly expanding budgets, higher taxes, and escalating costs at major state agencies like the MTA.
“After 19 years, New York has a government that costs dramatically more while delivering far less accountability,” said Joseph Hernandez, Republican candidate for New York State Comptroller. “Tom DiNapoli has spent nearly 40 years in Albany and has rubber-stamped its massive tax and spending increases every step of the way. When state taxes and the budget have more than doubled, taxpayers haven’t gotten oversight, they’ve gotten unchecked spending and waste.”
“40 years in government, including 19 as Comptroller, is long enough,” Hernandez added. “New York deserves a Comptroller who is a watchdog for taxpayers, not a lapdog for Albany insiders.”