Comptroller John Liu said Wednesday he is standing by his recent report on pension costs, a day after Mayor Bloomberg said Liu "doesn't know what he is talking about."
“The mayor is entitled to his opinion, but the facts still are the facts,” Liu told NBC New York.
Bloomberg told the Daily News editorial board Tuesday he would try to help Liu “get his staff and himself together so they can provide a real function and a real analysis.” The mayor was balking at Liu’s June report, which painted a rosy picture of future city pension costs.
The report estimated the percentage of city dollars spent on pensions would decline in five years because of cheaper benefits for new uniformed employees. Bloomberg has campaigned against what he calls unsustainable long-term pension expenses.
Liu said his research is thorough and supported by independent pension experts. He challenged Bloomberg to do his own research.
“The mayor is welcome to conduct his own thorough research and publish it as my office has," he said. "The Mayor has a tough job, but the people of New York City elected me. I do their bidding."
Liu suggested Bloomberg is responsible for the rising pension costs and said “rhetoric is not going to get us anywhere.”
