City Councilman Justin Brannan on Friday said he would work with city lawmakers to enact change if he is elected New York City comptroller. 

“We've got a serious crisis of confidence on our hands now at all levels of government,” Brannan said Friday on “Mornings On 1.” “Republicans are trying to steal from the poor to give more to the rich. Democrats are not fighting back hard enough. And I think at its most basic level, government has the responsibility to do two main things: keep people safe and level the playing field so everyone's got a fair shot. And right now, in the city of New York, that's not happening, and that comes down to, ultimately, how we spend our money.”

Brannan, a Democrat who is term-limited after two terms in the City Council representing Bay Ridge’s 47th District, has chaired the Finance Committee for several years, overseeing the city’s $115 billion budget. He said his experience in defending services and fighting budget cuts makes him the best candidate for comptroller.

“I’ve fought hard under Speaker [Adrienne] Adams against the mayor’s cruel budget cuts,” he said. “Nobody in this race knows the city budget better than I do. I know where they hide the money. I know the games that they play, and I know the power of the city budget to actually make life better for working people.”

Brannan said as comptroller, he would do more than simply audit government agencies — he would work with colleagues in the City Council to enact change.

“Doing an audit isn’t enough,” he said. “You have to build consensus with the state Legislature, with your colleagues in the City Council, to actually fix those problems, which is what I'm excited about.”

Like his fellow candidates, Brannan said he will prioritize the city’s affordability crisis, striving to protect working families.

“The way that we bring down the cost of living in the city, the way that we make the city more affordable for working people is by how we spend our money,” he said. “If we're investing in the programs and priorities that make life more affordable, then we have a better city. I'm talking about early childhood education, getting serious about universal child care, investing in our parks, our libraries, in CUNY, in our arts and cultural institutions—all the things that make New York City so unique. Working families are the bedrock of our economy. If we lose working families, we lose everything.”

Brannan will face Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and Brooklyn state Sen. Kevin Parker in the June 24 Democratic primary. Current Comptroller Brad Lander is vacating the position to run for mayor.