PolitickerNY

Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit appeared alongside Mayor Michael Bloomberg today at a press conference announcing New York’s top rank in a Citi-commissioned Economic Intelligence Unit research report on the world’s most competitive cities. Mr. Pandit said Citigroup’s current “mission is to help the cities on this list and others compete on the global stage,” so The Politicker asked his thoughts on the Occupy Wall Street protesters and others who blame the financial industry for subverting the democratic process and spreading economic inequality.

“I think the starting point is we have about 24,000 people that are our colleagues in New York City that makes us, I think, the second largest employer in the city. We’ve been here 200 years through ups and downs in the markets and, as the mayor pointed out, the last two, three years have been challenging,” Mr. Pandit said. “It’s very understandable that when we have so many people who want to do more than they’re able to do, want to have the kind of jobs they aspire to, that does create a sense of frustration. And a lot of that anger has been directed at big banks and Wall Street, and that’s understandable too.” Read More