54th State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli of New York

7/07/2025

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli

c/o Office of Comptroller of New York

110 State Street

Albany, NY  12236

Dear State Comptroller DiNapoli,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I have a strong interest in learning history, social justice, environment, and ethics reform. In these subjects, I like to learn the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, expand on social justice to improve communities, and implement ethics reform to reduce corruption. Comptroller DiNapoli, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work as former Member of the New York State Assembly from the 16th district and as current 54th State Comptroller of New York to be very inspiring to me.

When you served as Member of the New York State Assembly from the 16th district from 1987-2007, I truly appreciated on how you were a strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for rights of people with disabilities , supporting funds for women including minorities businesses to help them compete in the economy, and working with other members of the New York State Assembly to expand on laws to combat against hate crimes to help protect minorities including people who are different.  On the economy, I like on how you work to support expansion on jobs training programs to help train youth including workers to develop or improve  on job skills to prepare them for the work force and heavily advocate for the need for an increase in the minimum wage to help assist minimum wage workers afford to live. Supporting funds for renewable energy resources to help reduce addiction to oil including gas, encouraging businesses including housing to use energy efficient products to  reduce high energy cost while reduce pollution,  and working to expand funds to help clean parks including water resources to make them safe for people to use is common sense to protect the environment.  On education, I really like on how you support funds for improving special education to help assist students with disabilities get accommodations they need to help assist on learning, advocating for the need to increase funds to improve schools to help teachers including school staff get supplies or make the school environment safe, and heavily support legislation to expand mental health services in schools including colleges to help students including staff members get help on their mental health. On social justice, I like on how you express the need for better improvements of better access to food stamps to help assist people who are low income or who are in need for nutrition, push for investigations into law enforcement who commit police misconduct, and work with different non-profit organizations or groups to find ways to help people who are homeless or who are low income to get different essential items or care they need.  In your current role as 54th Comptroller of New York, I like on how you are a continuous strong supporter of civil rights including the rights of people with disabilities, environmental protection, and other social justice. On ethics reform, I like on how you pushed for a ban on gifts from lobbyist or lobbying groups to staff members of the Comptroller of New York, working on court reform to make sure that taxpayers money is being spent like improving the court system to help victims of crime get help on dealing with their trauma, and increasing investigation units to investigate public officials or insurance companies along with financial institutions that are committing different forms of corruption or committing fraud against people. Another thing that I like about your work as Comptroller of New York is how you are a strong advocate for the need for campaign finance reform to help reduce dark money from lobbying groups to political candidates to reduce corruption in elections, continuing to be an advocate for the need for public disclosures of budget including public officials pay raises to help the public know how their taxpayers money is being spent or if it is wasted, and be a continuous strong supporter for the need to improve ethics reform to reduce corruption in government along with businesses.

Comptroller DiNapoli, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advance subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts, and get teased.   your commitment to be a strong supporter of Civil Rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability.  Your role as former Member of the New York State Assembly from the 16th district and as current 54th Comptroller of New York helps give me motivation to continue to learn history, social justice, and ethics reform. My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the needs for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, expand on social justice to improve communities, improve ethics reform to reduce corruption, and many others.

I strongly believe that you are making a great difference for society.  I’m very proud on how you are working hard to support civil rights including rights of  people with disabilities, expand on ethics reform, advocate along with support common sense ideas, and many others. You truly inspire me to work hard on my disability, learn more about your work, and continue to learn different subjects. I was wondering if you could please share with me on some of your highlights of your work. Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me. Please continue to advocate and push for common sense ideas.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick