As a middle school student, Mike Rizzolo was re-elected each year to serve as his class’ treasurer.

Yielding from the small town of Avon, N.Y., just south of Rochester, the newly elected comptroller of the Student Association is planning to use his childhood obsession with finances to guide his work in office.

His work began just two weeks ago with the start of the 51st session.

‘I don’t think ‘small town,” he said, ‘but I’m from a small town.’

At a young age, Rizzolo’s father taught him the importance of patience and investing. That focus led to a devotion to playing – and winning at – Monopoly. But securing Boardwalk and Park Place for fake money was never enough.

At age 14, Rizzolo – with the help of his father – opened his own bank account and began investing his birthday and Christmas money in the stock market.

Four years later, Rizzolo said he made the easy choice of selecting the majors of finance and accounting at Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management. Shortly after arriving on campus, he joined SA as an assemblyman – representing the Whitman School – and secured a seat on the Finance Board.

His decision to run for comptroller was promoted by support from President Ryan Kelly and former comptroller Michael Brannen.

‘Mike is remarkable,’ Kelly said. ‘He just knows what he has to do.’

‘Mike is an intelligent, calm and friendly guy,’ Brannen said. ‘Those three qualities are necessary when dealing with a wide variety of people on this campus, as well as a diverse finance board and a strict assembly.’

Rizzolo said he felt a calling towards public service and considers himself a public servant.

‘I see the comptroller officer as one of the best positions for making a beneficial change on this campus,’ he said. ‘If more efficiency can add one more event and give other students a chance to experience things, it’s worth it. If you have the ability to pore over financial statements and find small ways to save money, you’ve done your job.’

The nature of Rizzolo’s approach to office was evident through his demeanor during the election. While he ran unopposed, he refused to speak of victory until all the votes were tallied and wouldn’t campaign in the traditional sense.

‘(The comptroller position) is nothing more than an over-glorified accountant,’ Rizzolo said. ‘I shifted (my focus) from getting attention drawn to me, to bringing it to the groups.’

The game of politics does not come natural to the businessman. He is more comfortable reviewing the fine print of budgeting contracts and has spent the past year immersing himself in the policies of the SA Finance Board.

Yet, after winning the election with 94 percent of the vote – triumphing against 71 write-ins – the sophomore is now prepared to implement the changes he had long envisioned for making the budgeting process more efficient.

‘I think Mike started measuring out his office as soon as he won,’ said Jessie Fish, campaign manager for Kelly’s presidential bid.

‘He seems excited to get started,’ Brannen added.

Rizzolo has spent time in the shadow of the former comptroller, observing the deficiencies in the budgeting process. He was offered the position of assistant comptroller last semester, but declined the nomination to preserve his vote.

Yet, once the election season approached and it became apparent he would be unopposed, Rizzolo focused his time strengthening his relationship with administration and crafting his vision for the future.

‘I think SA’s allocation and designation processes need an overhaul,’ Brannen said, ‘so creative ideas on how to do that would be great.’

Rizzolo said he will implement a plan this month that calls for new streamlined budget applications. The intent is to prevent student groups from applying for items that cannot be funded. He said he hopes it will also make students more comfortable asking for help. The ultimate goal is to increase the number of funded activities.

Despite his business-oriented personality, Rizzolo said he will rely on his morals when facing difficult decisions. He said he has no biases towards any group and is confident each request will be approached objectively.

SA is as an important part of the larger SU clan, Rizzolo said.

‘There is a sense of family,’ he said. ‘We want to take care of everyone.’

Rizzolo is now the comptroller of a university with more than 10,000 undergraduates, but he just thinks of it like being class treasurer of a much bigger class. For him, leadership is leadership whether in business, government or on the Monopoly board.

‘I love how a good leader can really make a difference with a company,’ Rizzolo said. ‘It’s all about knowing people and knowing how they need you to be.’

Published on February 4, 2007 at 12:00 pm