McCall, H. Carl c. 1938–

views updated

H. Carl McCall c. 1938–

Politician

Found Fiscal Reasons To Do the Right Thing

The first African American elected to the office of New York state comptroller, H. Carl McCall is the most powerful elected official in the state, next to the governor. In this position, he serves as New York’s chief financial officer and is responsible for managing the state’s money. The Harlem Democrat has earned a reputation for finding fiscally sound reasons for doing the “right thing” for minority-and female-owned businesses in New York. He has also doubled the state’s retirement fund to over $100 billion. Through his successes, McCall has raised the visibility of his seat as state comptroller—formerly a low-profile position. He has raised it to such a level, in fact, that he set his sights on running for governor in the 2002 election.

A Boston native, McCall is one of six children raised by his mother, a single parent on welfare. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Dartmouth and completed his studies at Andover Newton Theological School and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He came to Harlem as pastor of the Metropolitan United Methodist Church after being ordained by the United Church of Christ.

From Pastor to Senator

As commissioner of the New York City Council Against Poverty, McCall got his first taste of activism and politics. His association with Harlem political leaders such as former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton, ex-Mayor David Dinkins, and Congressman Charles Rangel provided support for a bid for the New York Senate in 1975, which he won. He remained in the Senate three terms, before he joined then President Jimmy Carter’s administration as a deputy ambassador to the United Nations.

McCall then launched a campaign for New York’s lieutenant governor position, but didn’t make it past the Democratic primary election. In 1982, a governor-appointed position as head of New York’s human rights division was McCall’s consolation prize after losing his first bid for a statewide office. He also served as commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In addition, McCall spent eight years in the private sector as a vice president for governmental relations at Citibank/Citicorp. From 1991 to 1993 he also took on the position of president of the New York City Board of Education, where he oversaw a $7.6 billion budget that supported nearly a million students, 212,000 employees and 1,000 schools. In 1993 McCall was appointed by the Legislature to complete retiring Republican Edward Regan’s term as the state’s comptroller.

Doubled New York’s Retirement Fund

McCall’s single-most important responsibility as comptroller is his position as the sole trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund (NYSCRF). Under McCall’s investment management, the fund doubled to an astonishing $107 billion, which would ensure its security far into the future. New York’s became only the second largest retirement fund in the country, next to

At a Glance…

Born c. 1938; married Dr. Joyce Brown, President, State University of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, Education: B.A., Dartmouth College, Andover Newton Theological Seminary, University of Edinburgh.

Career: Vice President, Citicorp/Citibank, 1985-93; New York State Senator; Ambassador, United Nations; Commissioner, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Commissioner, New York State Division of Human Rights; President, New York City Board of Education, 1991-93; Comptroller, State of New York, 1993-.

Member: Council on Foreign Relations; Board member, New York Stock Exchange, 1999-.

Awards: Nelson A. Rockefeller Award for Distinguished Public Service, 1997, among others.

Addresses: Office —Comptroller, State of New York, Alfred E. Smith Office Bldg., 6th Floor, Swan St., Albany, NY 12236.

California’s. “He’s [McCall] done a magnificent job doubling the pension fund under his management,” New York State Retirement System Advisory Council member Stanley Hill said in an interview with Black Enterprise. “He’s been a great person for the position in terms of fiduciary responsibilities and social issues as well.” McCall defended his work as less social in nature, and all business. “We’re about making sound investments that pay off, but making them in our communities,” McCall told Black Enterprise. “There’s a body of evidence that these types of investments can work, and the climate is right, particularly at a time when pension funds are doing well and making so much money.”

Some black politicians try to downplay race, but McCall focused the state’s money toward minorities. A booklet published by the comptroller’s office boasted that 87 of his first 100 appointments were women and minorities—56 women, 22 African Americans and nine Hispanics. Shortly after he took office, he set aside a quarter of his office’s trading resources for managed funds for minority-and female-owned firms. He led New York to invest $100 million in a state minority business agency. Under his direction, New York spent $50 million on businesses in hard-hit economic development areas. He also suggested plans to relieve tax burdens on small businesses and dispense with a lot of the bureaucractic red tape business owners get caught up in. After bringing minority firms into state business, he reported that some of the minority-and female-owned business performed as well as or outperformed some of the larger firms. “We haven’t lowered standards by picking minorities,” McCall told Black Enterprise, “we’ve lowered barriers.”

Found Fiscal Reasons To Do the Right Thing

According to Black Enterprise, McCall had a “knack for finding a fiscally responsible reason to do the right thing.” When news spread that corporate giant Texaco’s hiring and promotion practices were discriminatory, McCall leveraged public outrage and the NYSCRF’s significant Texaco stock ownership for a public apology and a commitment from Texaco to prevent such discrimination in the future. He used the same tactics against tobacco companies as the federal government tried to arrange a liability settlement to compensate people who were sick with smoking-related illnesses.

McCall also influenced the governor’s financial decisions for the better. New York had boasted 88 Fortune 500 companies in 1982, when Governor Mario Cuomo took office. By 1993 the number was down to 53. Neither large- or small-business owners were pleased with the governor’s money and business policies. Nine months after McCall took office, the governor made his most business-friendly proposals ever.

Throughout his career in office, McCall maintained respectful relationships with other New York leaders, but he has been forced to take steps against unjust financial actions taken by others in the state. Twice he was forced to sue the governor in order to prevent attacks on the NYSCRF. McCall also faced off with New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani when the mayor barred state auditors from the offices of several city agencies. Giuliani believed the state audits were intended to embarrass him during his reelection campaign. McCall sued the city for access to the agency records and won. “I have to be independent, because I am the independent comptroller,” he told About...Time Magazine. “I have to comment on the governor’s fiscal policies. When they are correct, I will say so. When they are not, I will say that too.”

Governor of New York?

In 2000 McCall began to consider running for governor himself, deciding to launch a campaign for the 2002 race. He knew that the key to his success was significant voter turnout from the African-American and Latino communities, and the key to that was voter registration. McCall was not only a smart money man, but an effective vote-getter. He developed his vote- getting skills where many black politicians do—the church. McCall appealed to minority constituents both with his record of accomplishments, and by portraying himself as a cool-headed fiscal manager and independent thinker.

By the July 2000 filing deadline for campaign finance reports, McCall had reached his goal of raising over $1 million toward his 2002 gubernatorial campaign. He looked forward to a goal of $3 million by the January 2001 deadline. The New York race is an expensive undertaking—McCall’s probable opponent in the race, incumbent governor George Pataki, reportedly spent $20 million in 1998 to win his second term.

Although the New York governor’s seat was clearly in McCall’s sights, he seemed to be calm about it. He shared his plans to run only in private meetings, and saved an official announcement until after the November 2000 elections. “I’ve always taken the position that you don’t have an ultimate goal, you just have to be poised for opportunities,” he told About...Time Magazine.