1997 New York City Comptroller election

none October 2026 1997 New York City Comptroller election New York City Presidential no 1993 New York City Comptroller election 1993 2001 New York City Comptroller election 2001 November 4, 1997 150x150px Alan Hevesi Democratic Party (United States) 866,572 76.30% Annemarie McAvoy 227,341 20.02% Republican Party (United States) Comptroller Alan Hevesi Democratic Party (United States) Alan Hevesi Democratic Party (United States) Liberal The 1997 New York City Comptroller election took place on November 4, 1997, to elect the comptroller of New York City. The election was held concurrently with the races for mayor and public advocate. The incumbent comptroller, Alan Hevesi, a Democrat first elected in 1993, won re-election with 76% of the vote.A Decade of Reform: Volume I – Report, New York City Campaign Finance Board, September 1998, ch. 1 Background Hevesi was favored to win re-election. His main opponent was Annemarie McAvoy, a Republican who entered the race too late to join the city's campaign finance program; the other candidates were Independence nominee Genevieve Torres, Right to Life nominee Donald Young, Fusion nominee Donal Yarbrough and Socialist Workers nominee Wendy Lyons. Hevesi raised $1,959,275 for the campaign and spent $2,053,787. He received $247,054 in public matching funds, but announced at a Campaign Finance Board debate on October 27 that he would return some of the money because McAvoy had not launched a "$3-million attack." He ultimately returned $172,600. Two general election debates were held. The first, on September 29, included Hevesi, Torres and Lyons, the candidates participating in the campaign finance program. McAvoy and Hevesi, the only candidates to qualify as "leading contenders," met in a second debate on October 27.A Decade of Reform: Volume II – Appendices, New York City Campaign Finance Board, September 1998, Appendix K Democratic primary Hevesi was the only Democratic candidate for comptroller, and no Democratic primary for the office was held. The Campaign Finance Board's list of 1997 primary results includes no comptroller race.A Decade of Reform: Volume II – Appendices, New York City Campaign Finance Board, September 1998, Appendices B and C (vote totals as provided by the Board of Elections in the City of New York) General election Hevesi won with 76.30% of the vote. CandidateParty/LineVotes% of candidate votesAlan Hevesi (incumbent)Democratic + Liberal866,57276.30%Annemarie McAvoyRepublican227,34120.02%Genevieve TorresIndependence19,8371.75%Donald YoungRight to Life14,9231.31%Wendy LyonsSocialist Workers5,5250.49%Donal YarbroughFusion1,5460.14%Total1,135,744100.00% Aftermath Hevesi was sworn in for a second term on January 1, 1998. He was term-limited in 2001 and ran unsuccessfully for mayor that year, finishing fourth in the Democratic primary.Former New York comptroller Alan Hevesi, symbol of political corruption, dies at 83 https://cnycentral.com/news/local/former-new-york-comptroller-alan-hevesi-symbol-of-political-corruption-dies-at-83 2026-10-13 CNYCentral He was elected New York State Comptroller in 2002. Bill Thompson won the open city comptroller seat in 2001. References Category:1997 in New York City Category:November 1997 in the United States