Democrat Mark Levine has won the race to become New York City’s next comptroller, defeating his Republican opponent Peter Kefalas on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, which called the race around 9:40 p.m.

Levine, the current Manhattan borough president, will replace outgoing comptroller Brad Lander, who declined to run for re-election ahead of his unsuccessful bid for mayor.

Levine has pledged to use the city pension system to invest in affordable housing and to force the city to make timely payments to nonprofit service providers. He has also urged the city to increase its reserves, especially with federal budget cuts hitting New York City.

The comptroller acts as the city’s fiscal watchdog, overseeing pension funds, analyzing the budget and conducting audits of agencies a

See Full Page