Joe StephenshawJoe Stephenshaw is the director of the Department of Finance, the office that writes the governor’s version of the state budget that is presented to the Legislature in January, then revised in Mayto account for the latest tax receipts. The Department of Finance holds the purse strings, and balances policy and politics in deciding who gets what. When you’ve got a $303 billion budget, this is a big deal. During the fall, the representatives of agencies head to Stephenshaw’s Finance team and, hoping for the best, present their wish list for the coming year. Stephenshaw is new to the governor’s office – he officially replaced the departing Keely Bosler only in July – but we broke our own rule and included him here anyway because how can you leave him out?

Source: New York Times August 10, 2022 05:16 UTC