Mayor Zohran Mamdani pushed forward Tuesday on several arms of his affordability agenda, securing partial victories in the state Assembly and Senate with their support of income and corporate tax hikes, and announcing an additional 1,000 seats in the city’s 3-K expansion.
Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
Tuesday, March 10, marked the 69th day of Zohran Mamdani’s term as mayor. amNewYork is following Mamdani around his first 100 days in office. We are closely tracking his progress on fulfilling campaign promises, appointing key leaders to government posts, and managing the city’s finances. Here’s a summary of what the mayor did today.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani pushed forward Tuesday on several arms of his affordability agenda, securing partial victories in the state Assembly and Senate with their support of income and corporate tax hikes, and announcing an additional 1,000 seats in the city’s 3-K expansion.
The Assembly and Senate on Monday evening, in their one-house budgets, approved corporate tax hikes that met Mamdani’s demands and an income tax hike that, while raising taxes on New York’s wealthiest, fell short of what the mayor had hoped for. Whether those increases become a reality depends on how budget negotiations with Gov. Kathy Hochul shake out, as she has repeatedly said she would oppose any new tax increases.
But Mamdani bristled at one point — neither proposal mentions a plan to extend the current system that affords the mayor control over New York City Public Schools.
Mamdani celebrates a partial win as Assembly and state Senate favor tax hikes
The one-house budgets signal a preference in Albany for Mamdani’s vision for taxes over that of Hochul, who has long rejected calls to raise income taxes and “tax the rich.”
“The legislature and I agree: we cannot bridge this budget deficit on the backs of working-class New Yorkers,” Mamdani said in a Tuesday news release about the budgets. “I’m grateful that the Assembly and Senate One-House Budgets recognize the scale of the fiscal crisis facing New York City.”
The city is facing a $5.4 billion budget shortfall — a fiscal gap that the Mamdani administration has blamed on his predecessor, former Mayor Eric Adams. Mamdani has repeatedly called for corporate and high-income tax hikes to help close the gap, an effort that has worried more moderate Democrats like Hochul and fiscal conservatives.
Hochul and Mamdani announced last month that New York State would write the City a $1.5 billion check to help close the shortfall, which in February stood at roughly $7 billion. Mamdani has urged the State to offer more fiscal support for the City — a battle that has long raged in New York — citing the City’s disproportionately large contribution to the State’s economy.
Hochul said last week that she was “not frustrated” by Mamdani’s calls to “tax the rich” as City Hall began to signal its optimism regarding support for tax hikes in Albany.
“Governor Hochul looks forward to negotiating with the legislature to reach a budget agreement that makes New York safer and more affordable,” a spokesperson for the Governor wrote in a statement to amNewYork.
Mamdani thanked Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, State Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and the Assembly and Senate Democratic conferences for “asking more from the wealthiest New Yorkers and by creating a fairer balance in the city’s fiscal relationship with the state.”
He also thanked the Senate and Assembly for their support of a fare-free bus pilot program extension — a program he sponsored while in the Assembly. Mamdani promised during his campaign to eliminate bus fares across the city, but has hit road blocks in Albany, with state lawmakers and the MTA hesitant to make such a drastic change to the city’s transportation revenue.
Schools: Mamdani looks for mayoral control extension
Mamdani indicated his desire to extend mayoral control of NYC Schools despite neither proposal mentioning such a plan. The week before his inauguration, Mamdani reversed his stance on mayoral control of schools, a system he had previously said he hoped to abolish.
“The State’s support has also been integral to advancing universal child care, and I deeply appreciate Governor Hochul and the State legislature’s partnership to that end,” Mamdani said in Tuesday’s news release. He thanked State partners for supporting his campaign promise to bring universal childcare and expanded education to New York City.
“However, we would not have been able to launch 2-K or begin to fix the issues plaguing 3-K without mayoral control,” he continued. “Mayoral control is key to delivering our affordability agenda, and I look forward to continuing to work with leaders in Albany to secure its extension.”
Mayoral control has long been controversial in New York City, with some elected and education advocates arguing that it affords unfettered power over the country’s largest school system to one individual. With mayoral control, Mamdani unilaterally appoints the Schools Chancellor and most members of the education oversight panel, which approves contracts and school closures. The City Council has little power over public schools.
“New York City is the economic engine of our state — restoring our city’s fiscal health is an investment in the state’s economic well-being,” Mamdani said. “I am encouraged and heartened by the relationship that we have built with Governor Hochul and the State legislature, and I look forward to continuing to review their proposals and build upon the work we have done together throughout this budget process.”
Mamdani, Samuels expand 3-K by over 1,000 seats
Mamdani announced on Tuesday that New York City would add over 1,000 seats to its 3-K program, marking another win in the mayor’s push for universal childcare. The new seats are in 56 zip codes across the five boroughs — five in the Bronx, six on Staten Island, eight in Brooklyn, 16 in Manhattan, and 21 in Queens.
“For too long, families were promised universal 3-K but offered seats miles away, forcing them to pay out of pocket for child care or leave the city,” Mamdani said at a Tuesday news conference on Staten Island announcing the expansion. “Today, we’re making a new commitment: government can deliver real relief from the affordability crisis. By making 3-K truly universal, we’re building a city where every New Yorker can afford to raise a family.”
Mamdani’s focus on universal childcare was a core tenet of his campaign for mayor. His ultimate goal is to provide all families in the city with free, universal childcare for kids as young as six months old. The 2-K program is set to reach “full universality” within four years, according to the City.
He is making rapid progress on his universal childcare promise with Hochul’s support. Just last week, Hochul and Mamdani announced that they would expand 2-K by 2,000 seats, building off their announcement in early January that the state would support universal childcare for two-year-olds.
“Adding seats in communities where demand is growing helps more families access high-quality early childhood education that supports children’s learning, development and long-term success,” Samuels said at Tuesday’s news conference.
For a full list of districts where new seats are opening up, check the Mayor’s website, nyc.gov/mayor.