Martha Stark

Who is Martha Stark?

Martha Stark was the Finance Commissioner of New York City. A tax attorney, she served as Finance Commissioner in the Cabinet of Mayor Michael Bloomberg from 2002 until 2009. She previously worked for the Manhattan Borough President, served as a White House Fellow at the United States Department of State and for the Finance Department before becoming commissioner. On April 28, 2009 Stark tendered her resignation due to stories fueled by people at Finance who were opposed to changes that she made in the agency to better serve the public. Her detractors seized on her romantic relationship with someone whom she met while Finance Commissioner who had left the agency three years before she was asked to resign. While it's clear that Stark's actions were not a violation of the City's conflict laws, she resigned because she didn't want to cause the Mayor distractions during his re-election for a third term. Stark was the third longest serving Finance Commissioner in the City's history; and the longest serving Finance Commissioner since 1964.