NY-COMP: Adem Bunkeddeko (D) launches state comptroller bid with novel trust fund plan
“Let me ask you something, do you know what the state comptroller does?”
Adem Bunkeddeko posed that question at the start of his campaign launch video for state comptroller, which was shared exclusively with City & State. The former two-time congressional candidate in Central Brooklyn is now the latest declared Democrat vying to unseat incumbent Tom DiNapoli, with the goal to educate New Yorkers about the position and redefine what it could be.
Bunkeddeko enters a crowded primary field that already includes a housing nonprofit executive and a former Kansas state legislator. Each is trying to differentiate themselves from DiNapoli, who has held the position for 18 years with few real electoral challenges – while also laying out a vision distinct from their competitors. For Bunkeddeko, the hallmark of his campaign launch is a promise to invest billions of dollars in unclaimed funds to create trust funds for every child born in the state. “For too long, the Comptroller’s office has been on the sidelines – and New Yorkers have paid the price,” Bunkeddeko said in a statement. “It’s time for change.”
This isn’t the first time that the state’s $20 billion in unclaimed funds – money that technically belongs to New Yorkers – has come up in the race. Drew Warshaw, the housing executive who launched his campaign in May, has pitched as a cornerstone of his campaign getting that money into the pockets of the New Yorkers it belongs to as quickly as possible. The total value of unclaimed funds in the state has skyrocketed from roughly $7.2 billion to $20 billion under DiNapoli’s stewardship.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/12/adem-bunkeddeko-launches-state-comptroller-bid-novel-trust-fund-plan/409856/?oref=csny-category-lander-featured-river