Scott M. Stringer was sworn in as Manhattan's 26th Borough President in January of 2006 after serving 13 years in the New York Assembly, where The New York Times credited him as having "a sterling reputation as a catalyst for reform." During his first two years in office, Borough President Stringer helped breathe new life into Manhattan's Community Boards, ensuring that every neighborhood has a strong voice in decisions that impact local residents' lives. He revamped the Borough President's Land Use Division and effectively weighed in on crucial development projects that will shape Manhattan's future. His continued advocacy for development that reflects neighborhood values has resulted in victories for local residents from Battery Park to Washington Heights.

Since taking office Borough President Stringer has emerged as one of the City's leading voices on the need for comprehensive transportation reform. He has continued his career-long fight for affordable housing by conducting the first ever borough-wide survey of vacant lots and abandoned buildings to identify sites for the creation of more affordable housing in Manhattan, and working with legislators in Albany and on the City Council to introduce laws that will further that goal. The Borough President has authored a number of ground-breaking policy reports on issues of importance to every New Yorker, including parental involvement in our public schools, nursing home emergency preparedness, public safety, transportation and paid leave for employees.

In 2007 Borough President Stringer launched the Go Green East Harlem initiative, a multi-faceted campaign to improve residents' health in East Harlem, and to serve as a model for other environmentally neglected neighborhoods. Go Green initiatives to date include a new asthma center, the planting of hundreds of street trees in East Harlem, a new farmers' market on 106th Street, a "green building" conference for developers, planners and community advocates, and the Go Green East Harlem Cook Book, which features healthy, mouth watering recipes for appetizers, soups, salads, entrees and - yes - desserts. The bilingual cook book is given free of charge to East Harlem residents, and sold nationwide, with proceeds going to the Community Fund for Manhattan, a nonprofit organization created by the Borough President's office, which funded the book's publication.

Borough President Stringer was born in Washington Heights where he graduated from local public schools and went on to graduate from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.