In Crown Heights, Spitzer Says Comptroller No Stepping Stone

Stumping for support among Jewish voters in Crown Heights on Monday night, former governor Eliot Spitzer was playing to a very small crowd. 

Meeting with voters in the back room of Basil's, a boutique pizza joint on Kingston Avenue off Eastern Parkway, Spitzer was all smiles and jokes in the intimate setting. 

His pitch was based around issues tailored specifically for the Jewish community, while still leaning heavily on his "look what I did as governor and attorney general" routine.

He specifically singled out funding for private schools, saying that while in office he pushed for public funding to help assist private schools — often specifically yeshivas. 

The statement is similar to arguments he made in 2006, when first running for governor. His stance at the time was that the Child Tax Credit could be used to help families offset the cost of sending students to private schools. He added that once in office he directed appointees to push for further leeway for families in similar situations. 

After taking a handful of questions from the small group in Basil's back room, Spitzer said his objective in running for Comptroller was just that: to whip the city's fiscal office into shape. He faulted opponent Scott Stringer for saying he would appoint a "Chief Financial Officer" for the city. 

Spitzer, jumping in before the question was asked, said he didn't have designs on any higher office: the mayor's, for instance, but also said he didn't plan to endorse anyone either.

"You seek a job, you do that job," Spitzer said, but added: "Whatever good comes thereafter, who knows?"