The short version
- The comptroller is the state's auditor and runs the $310 billion pension fund. Thomas DiNapoli (D) has held the job since 2007; Joseph Hernandez (R) is a biotech investor.
- The attorney general is the state's lawyer. Letitia James (D) is seeking a third term; Saritha Komatireddy (R) is a former federal prosecutor.
- Further down: a state Supreme Court seat (a family court judge vs. a prosecutor) and several unopposed local offices.
State Comptroller
Think of the comptroller as the state's accountant and auditor. The office checks how state agencies, cities, towns and school districts spend money, including the City of Watertown (2023) and Jefferson County's development agency (2020), and it invests the pension savings of public workers.
You are a teacher, county worker or other public employee
DiNapoli
The pension fund hit a record $295 billion in March 2026 (an 11.9% return that year; 8.9% a year over ten years). The state Department of Financial Services, which oversees the fund, rated its performance "very good."
Hernandez
Would put $10 billion of pension money into New York businesses (an "Empire Opportunity Fund") and cut Wall Street fees.
The catch: the fund's legal duty is to retirees, so any money invested at home still has to earn competitive returns.
You want waste and fraud caught
DiNapoli
His office counts more than 420 arrests and $130 million recovered through its anti-corruption work.
Hernandez
A Fraud Strike Team on day one, checking Medicaid and home-care claims before they are paid, and rewards for whistleblowers.
Attorney General
The attorney general is the state's lawyer: protecting consumers, suing companies or governments, and handling some criminal cases.
You were scammed, overcharged or treated unfairly by a business
James
Pushed through the FAIR Business Practices Act (in effect Feb. 2026), which lets the state go after "unfair" and "abusive" practices, not just deceptive ones. Won more than $3 billion in opioid settlements, including about $531,000 for Jefferson County from the JUUL case.
Komatireddy
Focus on crime and fraud, including Medicaid fraud, and an investigation of MTA overcharging. We found no position on the FAIR Business Practices Act.
The catch: small businesses are covered by the FAIR Act too, so the next attorney general's approach to it matters to local owners.
Someone you love has severe mental illness
Komatireddy
Would create an Office of Civil Commitment with police and doctors, and build residential treatment centers across the state. No cost or locations given.
James
Calls that plan "another bureaucracy" and argues for more outpatient services and psychiatric beds.
Questions about each office's record
James
Federal inspectors suspended funding for her office's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in July 2026 over low results; an October letter noted improvement.
Komatireddy
No prior elected office; 12 years as a federal prosecutor and a year as chief of staff at the DEA.
State Supreme Court (5th District)
Despite the name, this is New York's main trial court for big civil and criminal cases, covering Jefferson and five nearby counties. Judges cannot promise how they would rule, so the choice is mostly about experience.
The candidates
Zavaglia (D, WFP)
Onondaga County Family Court judge since 2023 and an East Syracuse village justice.
Manfredi (R, Conservative)
Chief of the grand jury and felony trial bureaus at the Onondaga County District Attorney's office, a prosecutor there since 2007.
Unopposed
Assemblyman Scott Gray (District 116), Sheriff Peter Barnett and your county legislator (Districts 12–15 in the city) have no opponents. Profiles are in the full guide.
WBA does not endorse candidates. This is a plain-English summary; every number comes from our full research, where each fact has a source.