The term “scofflaw” is often used to describe someone who repeatedly violates laws or regulations. In the context of traffic violations, it can refer to individuals who consistently disregard traffic laws, leading to a significant number of tickets or fines that go unpaid.
The term applies to Brad Lander, the New York City Comptroller and aspiring mayoral candidate, who has been in the news recently for his driving record. This has raised concerns among voters considering his potential candidacy. Reports indicate that despite his commitment to improving his driving habits, Lander has accumulated a substantial number of traffic summonses, including parking tickets and speeding violations.
The list of Lander’s inconsistencies is long, according to The NY Post. While Lander has long pushed a green agenda aimed at getting New Yorkers to avoid driving in favor of mass transit, he himself is chauffeured daily around the Big Apple by his exclusive NYPD security detail as comptroller.
His personal vehicle, a Toyota Prius, is regularly slammed with summonses. Eleven of the tickets — including one for speeding — occurred after Lander was sworn in as comptroller in 2022.
The NY Post had revealed his abysmal driving record as far back as April 2021, before he became Comptroller, and he had pledged to mend his ways. However, even though he has long championed a law as a Brooklyn councilman to crack down on reckless driving, and that he continues to promote congestion tolling as a way to ease the raging traffic in NYC, he has continued to break the very laws that he has touted.
“He’s [sic] acts holier than thou, but he’s a lawbreaker, … and voters will feel he can’t be trusted with our safety,” Hank Sheinkopf, Democratic strategist, said. “If you can’t trust him not to break the law as comptroller, what do you think he’d be as mayor? A lawbreaker-in-chief?”
The scrutiny of Lander’s driving record comes at a time when he is expected to announce his mayoral bid, and it underscores the importance of “optics”, the idea that public officials must not only be law abiding and honest but must appear to be so as well in the interest of transparency.
The revelations about his driving record could potentially impact his campaign, as voters often look for consistency between a candidate’s words and actions. Lander’s situation serves as a reminder that the eyes of the media—and of the public—are on their politicians and public servants.
