John Burnett
MEDIA KIT March 2015
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EXECUTIVE BIOGRAPHY
“Mr. Burnett, making his first bid for elective office, has built a
strong private-sector résumé in 20 years on Wall Street. He grew
up in East New York, Brooklyn, and Jamaica, Queens, and earned
degrees from New York University and Cornell University.”
(New York Times, October 30, 2013)
“John Burnett is what NYC’s comptroller’s job needs…He is a
genuine “only in New York story.”
(New York Post, October 30, 2013)
John is a natural entrepreneur with an innate business sense. At six years old, he started selling candy to
classmates, optimizing the opportunity to sell sweets before and after lunch. A few years later, he honed his
culinary skills and baked oatmeal cookies from scratch, hiring his mother and three sisters to sell the homemade
goodies to their coworkers and friends.
John’s first job was passing out flyers for a jewelry store in Queens Village after school when he was in the eighth
grade. By the time he reached his sophomore year in high school, he was managing the jewelry store. After
graduating from Andrew Jackson High School, he worked as a cashier at Pathmark. “It was my first experience as
a union guy,” said John. “For me it was normal, both my parents were union workers.”
John’s first encounter with investing money began while growing up in East New York and Jamaica, Queens. His
mother insisted he tithe 10 percent of his snack allowance at the church his family attended in Brooklyn. “Don’t
rob God,” she’d say. “If you sow good seed, it will come back to you.” That moral voice has guided John
throughout his personal and professional life.
After one year at Borough of Manhattan Community College – “I was bored and itching to go where the money
is – Wall Street “ – John started his 20-year career in finance as a margin analyst at then, Dean Witter Reynolds,
which became Morgan Stanley. “They invested in a 20-year-old kid who, at the time, had only a dream and a
willingness to work hard.”
“Looking back, Dean Witter and me both got an incredible return,” said John. He subsequently worked at Smith
Barney where he rose to vice president and director at Merrill Lynch. But there was one pledge John failed to
keep to his parents and that was to graduate from college.
So, while managing a budding Wall Street career, he enrolled at New York University. He earned a bachelor’s
degree in four years by attending classes after work, while leading a division at Citigroup. “Every year, I enrolled
in 10 to 12 credits per semester and about 16 credits during the summer while leading my division. My mother
was sick with congestive heart failure and I made her promise she would live to see me graduate. She died a few
months before I walked across the stage, but she knew that I had the determination to reach my goal and she
was there with me in spirit.”
John went on to earn an MBA at Cornell University and continued to climb the corporate ladder at Merrill Lynch
and The McGraw-Hill companies.
Throughout John’s career in the financial services industry, he learned how to manage money and people in a
highly interdependent global economy where a tsunami in Thailand or terrorist bombing at a London subway
can have a substantial impact on investment within minutes.
John has overseen financial advisors and global wealth portfolio managers at the world’s most prestigious
financial institutions including Morgan Stanley, Smith Barney and Merrill Lynch. He has led global compliance
initiatives on business ethics, corporate governance, enterprise risk management, audit reviews and regulatory
examination; all of which served to enhance operations, effectiveness of target operating models and
organizational policies to achieve optimal results.
John is a former candidate for New York City comptroller and currently works as an independent business
consultant. He is a resident of Harlem, New York.
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AREAS OF EXPERTISE AND ISSUES OVERVIEW
Financial Services: Burnett has received numerous professional
credentials over the years. He has held five financial-services
industry licenses: Series 7, Series 9, Series 10, Series 63, and
Series 65. As Burnett explains, “These are licenses for financial
adviser, for portfolio management, state securities licensing,
as well as the supervisory licenses to oversee financial advisors
and portfolio managers.” He maintained these certificates
until 2010; he had been working at McGraw Hill Financial since
2008 and no longer needed them. Burnett used these licenses
and his business training in previous positions. He has worked
at Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and other top-drawer financial
houses. (National Review, September 10, 2013)
Education: John is no stranger to the importance of education.
As a full-time employee on Wall Street, he managed to complete
his undergraduate degree at New York University in four years
by attending night classes. As candidate for comptroller, John
ran on the Independent School Choice line. In New York, there is no political party that represents the interests
of school choice aggressively and consistently, which gives parents financial support so they can choose the kind
of education that best suits their children’s needs. As part of the School Choice Party, Burnett was committed to
improving New York City’s public school system.
Technology and Communications: Over the past several years John has written extensively about the
importance of smartphones and mobile technology and their profound contribution in bridging the digital
divide. Recently, he has weighed in on the patent dispute between Apple and Samsung. John believes that legal
battle, like so many others, is anti-competitive and therefore harmful for consumers who benefit from a free and
open marketplace.
Energy: In September 2013, New York City’s unemployment rate stood at 7.5%, at par with the national
average. To reverse this trend and create well-paying jobs in the city, Burnett promised, if elected as comptroller,
to “use the power of my office to support and facilitate and create projects such as the renovation of Midtown
East,” which would replace old, out-of-date buildings with new technology compatible, energy efficient new
constructions. (The South Asian Times, September 21, 2014). He has consistently recognized the tremendous job
opportunities in the energy industry, particularly for African-American and Latino workers. Those jobs “enable
families to buy homes, invest in the education of their children, put away money for retirement and finally take
the journey down the path to create generational wealth.” (Roll Call, January 16, 2014)
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SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILE
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IN THE NEWS
The Cybercurrency Dilemma
U.S. News & World Report, February 3, 2015
Given the lessons from the 2008 financial meltdown in which institutional and retail investors placed huge bets
on the housing market through complex collateralized mortgage obligation bonds and swaps contracts, there
should be baseline disclosure, reporting and oversight requirements for virtual currencies….This will be no easy
task. It will require an exceedingly light regulatory touch that protects consumers and investors, while preserving
the freedom that has allowed bitcoin to flourish and that will enable it to evolve.”
Oil Folly in the Last Frontier
US News & World Report, January 20, 2015
“Now is not the time to be creating any kind of uncertainty about a project already taking tangible steps toward
a goal that has eluded Alaskan political and business leaders for decades: tapping one of the largest proven gas
reserves in the United States. Why is this not the time for that? Well, for Alaskans, moving ahead with this project
would be the shot in the arm for its moribund economy, creating thousands of construction jobs. More than
that, it will help the state diversify a tax base that is overly reliant on revenues from the unpredictable oil market.
Indeed, falling oil prices have turned a projected $1 billion budget shortfall in the Alaskan state budget into a
projected $3.5 billion shortfall. All in a matter of a few months!”
Big Labor’s Crusade Against Franchise Businesses
US News & World Report, January 13, 2015
“No one would argue that individual franchise operators never violate labor laws. Bad operators should be
called to task and decent working conditions and fair wages maintained. But scrapping a definition of employer
that has been the basis of laws, regulations and court rulings for 50 years would be akin to going duck hunting
with a howitzer. Unions will argue that greedy corporations are the target. In reality, it is hundreds of thousands
of entrepreneurs, the millions of people who work for them and communities across the country whose economic
well-being could get blasted if this misguided government ruling is allowed to stand.”
Beyond the Cap and Gown
Inside Sources, September 17, 2014
“I was fortunate enough to have grown up in an earlier generation that afforded me the time and opportunity
to sort out my life and priorities. Today, students face a more unforgiving environment, inundated with shifting
demands and expectations. However, amid these challenges are a myriad of potential employment and
entrepreneurial opportunities across various industries, so the access to lifelong learning is essential. It is up to
colleges and universities to recognize this and provide avenues for learning that make a meaningful difference
for this and future generations of students.”
Silicon Valley’s Dismal Hiring Record Needs to Change
Salon Magazine, August 10, 2014
“As someone who managed to rise out of an economically disenfranchised community to achieve success on
Wall Street, I understand that the open doors of opportunity played as much a role in the trajectory of my life
as my hard work, education and training did. No one is asking for Google or Twitter or the others to award jobs
to unqualified candidates. But what we are asking is that they take concrete steps to join the rest of us in helping
America make good on its promissory note of opportunity for all, instead of hiding in their elite enclave — or
perhaps even their own elite state.”
Why Walmart could be good for NYC
The New York Post, June 9, 2014
“Our communities desperately need a job market that provides choices. Our politicians have failed to implement
pro-growth policies and promote a business environment that creates well-paying job options for blue- and
white-collar job seekers. But I can tell you from personal experience that holding down a job, any job, makes it
much more possible to land a better job.”
The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth
Roll Call, January 16, 2014
“My understanding of the energy sector stems from my professional experience in the financial services industry.
And as a Harlem resident in Rangel’s district, I feel compelled to point out the tremendous job opportunities that
the rapid growth in the energy industry is projected to provide hundreds of thousands of African-American and
Latino workers. These are two groups that have been hit particularly hard by the slow economic recovery and
that often have an unemployment rate double the national average.”
John Burnett touts Projects-to-Wall Street Tale
The Bond Buyer, October 17, 2013
MEDIA COVERAGE
Blogs
TV & Podcasts
Radio
CONTACT JOHN
For press inquiries or for John’s
availability, please contact:
Follow him on Social Media
@IamJohnBurnett
IamJohnBurnett
IamJohnBurnett
APPENDIX (Additional Media Links)
Instructions: (PDF) Left-click on hyperlink to open and experience content
JOHN’s CAMPAIGN VIDEO AND WEBSITE:
John Burnett for NYC Comptroller Campaign Video
John Burnett for NYC Comptroller Campaign Web Site
JOHN’s U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT ARTICLES (library of all John’s U.S. News articles)
http://www.usnews.com/topics/author/john-burnett
JOHN’s OTHER PUBLISHED ARTICLES:
Inside Sources: Beyond the Cap and Gown (9/17/14)
Salon Magazine: Silicon Valley’s Dismal Hiring Record Needs to Change (8/10/14)
NY Post: Wal-Nuts on Walmart (6/10/14)
FoxNews: Apple vs. Samsung: Why Dispute could quash smartphone access for minorities (3/21/14)
Roll Call - The Truth The Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth (1/15/14)
JOHN’s CAMPAIGN PRESS and MEDIA PUBLICATIONS:
NY Post Endorsement – John Burnett for Comptroller (10/31/13)
JPUpdates – If Elected NYC Comptroller, John Burnett to Expand City’s Investment in Israel (10/27/13)
Long Island Jewish World & Jewish Sentinel – Will the John Burnett become NYC’s first republican comptroller since 1945?
(10/27/2013)
The Yeshiva World News – Republican John Burnett Pledges to Increase NYC Investment in Israeli Bonds (10/27/2013)
Staten Island Advance – Candidate for city comptroller promises greater oversight of health inspectors (10/26/2013)
The Island Now – GOP abdicates in city comptroller race (10/24/2013)
Politicker – John Burnett Flexes Finance Credentials (10/22/2013)
The Bond Buyer – Video Interview – John Burnett Touts Projects-to-Wall Street Tale (10/17/2013)
New York Post – Editorial: Is the Media Ignoring NYC’s Black GOP Candidate (10/15/2013)
Staten Island Advance – Assemblywoman Malliotakis Endorses Republican Burnett in Race for City Comptroller (10/14/2013)
Metro – John Burnett Attacks Scott Stringer in Comptroller Debate (10/9/2013)
New York Post – Comptroller Candidate Zings Stringer (10/9/2013)
The Bond Buyer – NY City Comptroller Candidates Exchange Barbs (10/9/2013)
2013 General Comptroller Debate (10/8/2013)
NY1 News – Wall Streeter Burnett Attacks Stringer’s Political Ties In Comptroller Debate (10/8/2013)
Epoch Times – John Burnett Lashes out at Scott Stringer in Comptroller Debate (10/8/2013)
NY1 News – City Comptroller Candidates Prepare for NY1 Debate (10/7/2013)
Town & Village – Stringer’s Wall Street Opponent – Burnett Say’s He’d Reform City’s Pension Plans (10/7/2013)
NY1 News – Republican Comptroller Candidate Greets Commuters at Queens Subway Station (10/5/2013)
The Bond Buyer – NY Comptroller Candidate Tells His Projects-to-Wall-Street Tale (10/4/2013)
NY1 Noticias – Republican Seeks to Defeat Scott Stringer (10/4/2013)
Staten Island Advance – Staten Island GOP Backs John Burnett in Race for City Comptroller (10/2/2013)
Epoch Times – Former Governor George Pataki Endorses John Burnett for Comptroller (10/1/2013)
Good Day New York – Interview with John Burnett (9/30/2013)
New York Post – John Burnett is What NYC Comptroller’s Job Needs (9/29/2013)
NY1 News – The New York Times Close Up (9/28/2013)
WPIX-Ch. 11 – News Close-Up: Interview with John Burnett (9/28/2013)
NY1 News – Road to City Hall: Interview with John Burnett (9/25/2013)
Legislative Gazette – Wall Street Veteran Anxious to Take on Scott Stringer (9/23/2013)
Epoch Times – Qualified but Lacking Cash, Burnett is Ready to Face Stringer (9/23/2013)
The South Asian Times – Will John Burnett End GOP’s 70-Year Drought for NYC Comptroller? (9/20/2013)
Amsterdam News – Black and Republican: John Burnett Wants to be NYC Comptroller (9/19/2013)
National Review Online – GOP’s John Burnett Uniquely Qualified to be NYC Comptroller (9/10/2013)
Crain’s New York Business – John Burnett Spoiling for a Fight (8/25/2013)
WOR Radio 710 The John Gambling Show – Meet the Republican Candidate: John Burnett (8/22/2013)
CBS New York – John Burnett’s Biography (8/8/2013)
Press of Southeast Queens – Republican Joins Race for Comptroller (7/19/2013)
Newsday – O’Reilly: Can a Republican become NYC Comptroller? (7/13/2013)
New York Post – The Real Comptroller Surprise (7/11/2013)
NY1 News – Road to City Hall: Interview with John Burnett (7/1/2013)
City & State – Last Look: NYC Comptroller Candidate John Burnett Video Interview with Morgan Pehme (6/27/2013)
WorldJournal.com – Article on John Burnett for NYC Comptroller (6/27/2013)
New York Post – GOPer: Bank on Me Over Stringer (6/24/2013)
Daily News – Republican Wall Street Vet John Burnett Ready to Jump into Race for NYC Comptroller (6/13/2013)
The Black Conservative – Black Conservative Wall Street Vet John Burnett Ready to Jump Into Race for NYC Comptroller
(6/13/2013)
