Governor Paterson announced his confirmation of former NYC mayoral candidate and Comptroller William C. Thompson to the Board of Directors of Battery Park City Authority.

According to a press release from the governor, “I am pleased to announce the confirmation of my colleauge and friend, Bill Thompson, to the Battery Park City Authority. Bill is a proven leader with significant experience in government. As the City’s former Comptroller, he worked tirelessly on behalf of all New York City residents. I look forward to working with him in making New York City and Battery Park City a better place to live, work and raise a family. ”

Mr. Thompson was most recently elected to serve two consecutive four-year terms as Comptroller of New York City, leading a team of 720 employees and managing a $66 million annual operating budget. Mr. Thompson’s early career roles included serving as Chief of Staff to a United States Congressman, and Deputy Borough President for the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President. Later, in the private sector, Mr. Thompson was a Senior Vice President in Public Finance at an investment banking firm. He returned to public service and was appointed to the New York City Board of Education where he served five terms as President of the nation’s largest school system with more than 130,000 employees and an annual budget of nearly $12 billion. As President, Mr. Thompson led policy development and implementation in a city of over 8 million residents with 1.1 million public school children.

Mr. Thompson received a B.A. in Political Science from Tufts University, where he currently serves as a Trustee Emeritus. He has received honorary degrees from Metropolitan College, Pace University, Mercy College and Long Island University.