Mayor Zohran Mamdani poses for a selfie with Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly after the James Connolly Irish American Labor Coalition luncheon
Photo by Sinn Fein TD Louise O’Reilly Facebook
When the newly-elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani opened his victory speech, he quoted socialist Eugene Debs in proclaiming “the dawn of a better day for humanity.”It sure sounds nice, but the realities of leading New York are less lofty and extremely pressing.
It is also the job he was elected to perform.
So committed to his city was candidate Mamdani that he even insisted he would not travel outside the city during his four-year term. However, since Jan. 1, while he has stayed physically close to home, his gaze often seems too far afield.
Whether it’s actions in Venezuela, Iran or the Israel-Hamas War, the mayor is too frequently at the center of conversations that could not feel further from local concerns about affordability, public safety and transportation. Or protecting the rights of Jewish New Yorkers.
He even waded into Irish politics, making headlines for waffling on whether Northern Ireland should be reunited with Ireland — an issue he apparently knew little to nothing about before St. Patrick’s Day 2026. It was embarrassing.
Any time spent on issues unrelated to the city’s well-being is time wasted, and the mayor needs to be grounded in the realities of the city he was elected to govern.
He is the mayor of New York, not secretary-general of the United Nations. With all due respect to the mayor, the people who elected him last year overwhelmingly voted with their wallets. Exit polls showed voters cared about two things: To make the city more affordable and to bring about change to the city government.
During first 75 days in office, he has secured limited funding for expanded childcare, launched the tenant protection office and navigated two historical snowstorms in rapid succession — and, as mayors often do, has patted himself on the back at every turn.
Meanwhile, he’s barely scratched the surface of the work that needs to be done. Needlessly charging into divisive geopolitics is an unforced error New Yorkers cannot afford.
He has not yet found a way to advance the core pledges of his campaign — improving affordability, making the buses fare-free, boosting housing, establishing his vaunted “Department of Community Safety” to improve mental health responses — without costing taxpayers more money, and with state and city lawmakers resistant to tax hikes.
Oh, and then there’s that massive $7.3 billion budget gap that he and the City Council need to fill by June 30. Moody’s negative financial outlook for the city was a warning shot of economic danger ahead. Let’s not wait for another; it’s time to rein in spending.
And he needs to bring the city together. His remarks on Israel continue to leave Jewish New Yorkers feeling excluded and vulnerable. This must be fixed now in deeds, not words; verbal reassurances are not enough.
If Mamdani takes his eyes off the ball, he risks losing the plot — and, more importantly, the voters.