TOM DINAPOLI vs. BOB ANTONACCI
Upstate county comptroller Robert Antonacci is the underdog in a race to defeat his counterpart at the state level, incumbent Thomas DiNapoli. The higher-up money-minder has reformed how his office manages the state’s pension funds to force transparency and strengthen controls on how it is managed. Antonacci touts his accounting bona fides and says that he will be more cautious with state money than DiNapoli, who he says is relying too much on risky investments. DiNapoli points to his record in building the pension fund to an all-time high as evidence of his suitability for the job. He led by a whopping 27 percent in a recent poll.
Tom DINAPOLI
DEMOCRAT, Former Nassau County assemblyman, former trustee of a Long Island Board of Education. Became comptroller in 2007 after former Comptroller Alan Hevesi left office in handcuffs. Re-elected in 2010.
60, single, no children.
BOB ANTONACCI
REPUBLICAN, Previously ran a business law practice, serves as a high school basketball referee when he is not managing the finances of the county that contains Syracuse.
He is in his second term as comptroller there.
50, married, two children.
THE CAMPAIGN
Antonacci is testing a pilot program to match small private campaign donations with state money, but has struggled to meet the $200,000 minimum required to receive the funds. DiNapoli has opted out, saying the option became available too late in the game. Observers have praised both campaigns for refraining from mudslinging. The closest they have come is Antonacci criticizing DiNapoli for approving a hush-money settlement from the state to Assembly staffers harassed by former Assemblyman Vito Lopez.
— Danielle Furfaro
