This is a two-part TCQ&A: the first is the result of an interview with born and bred Tribecan Morris Katz, who at 26 is the lead media strategist for Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. Fight, the political consulting agency he co-founded in 2024, works for progressive candidates across the country. The second part is the usual lightening round.
Morris went to PS 234, then Salk School of Science, then Beacon High School, then Skidmore College, and while he now lives in Williamsburg, he is in Tribeca several times every week.
Photo by Anna Palma
How did you get into politics?
Kind of by accident. I had always wanted to get into the entertainment industry — my father, David Bar Katz, is a writer — and I was working as a PA on some projects and writing screenplays and plays and different content, and I wrote a profile of Erica Smith, who was running for US Senate [in 2021] in North Carolina. The candidate reached out to me and said you really captured my voice far better than I have seen it done before — would you come to North Carolina and help run my campaign?
So I went to North Carolina and started making videos and ads and more people started reaching out and saying will you do it for us, will you do it for us.
[Morris then moved to Pennsylvania to work on Senator John Fetterman’s campaign, eventually comng back to New York to start Fight Agency with three other partners.]
Why did you found your own agency?
We felt the political consulting firms out there were fundamentally broken and responsible for so much of what was going wrong in the country. It was an outdated model. They raise as much money as possible and buy a bunch of TV ads and say the same thing everywhere. People expect so much more transparency in everything now and we wanted to lean into that.
We talk often about authenticity. We need real people running for office rather than people who think that’s what they wanted to do since they were 5. And we wanted to focus on stories and vision and people from outside the spectrum of people we think can run for office.
Oh, and we wanted to make ads that don’t suck.
What appealed to you about Mamdani?
I met Zohran a year and a half ago. I had heard through the grapevine that he was planning to run for mayor. He reached out to me to get coffee and in two minutes I thought, this guy can be the next mayor of New York. I was totally taken with his energy and his authenticity.
Some politicians have an ability to see what “can be” outside of “what is.” He had such a clear vision of how to make this city better. And a vision on how to do it.
Often when you meet candidates, the first thing they talk about is their path to victory or themselves. He was so laser-focused on a city that not only everyone could afford but everyone could afford to enjoy. He spent so much time talking about it in all the right ways that I felt excited inside — excited that I could help deliver this vision for the place I love.
And there was a natural connection — we both went to public high school here — a cultural New York fluency. Plus Zohran is one of the greatest human beings I have every met. His thoughtfulness and compassion and seriousness mix with the joy with which he interacts with the world around him.
This is hard shit. And every day I am grateful that he is in the trenches with us. I could not be more grateful I made the choice I did.
How are you feeling about the race?
I think we feel good. The democratic primary was a fight for the soul of the Democratic Party. We believed that there was no room in our party for a corrupt leader. Andrew Cuomo has proved our hypothesis. The rhetoric has now gotten really ugly and blatantly racist. Frankly that is not New York.
What else do you want to tell your neighbors?
I think about this a lot as someone who grew up in Tribeca under Bloomberg and what he was able to do for our neighborhood and the quality of life transformation we experienced. In so many ways that is Zohran’s mission. Every single neighborhood should be like ours, and every neighborhood *can* look like ours — and that should make ours even better. This is a battle for a city that everyone can afford to live in and love the same way that we love Tribeca.
It’s this idea of a comprehensive vision. We don’t think of our beautiful cobblestone streets as an example of government excellence, or our stretch of Hudson River Park as an example of government excellence, but these are exactly that. We can do better for every single neighborhood.
Bloomberg’s efficiency was admirable, as well as the way he engaged with public open space, with the experience of walking the streets — the quality of life successes of his administration are clear things to draw from. This is the root of what Zohran believes in — that government can make your life better. And that there is no problem too small or no problem too big for government to take on.
So what’s next?
Post November 4th doesn’t exist.
Photo by Anna Palma
And now, the original TCQ&A with Morris Katz.
How long have you lived in Tribeca?
Born and raised. My parents — Julie Merberg and David Bar Katz — moved in a few weeks before I was born. I’m the oldest of four boys. [That’s them in the photo above.]
Pets?
My parents have a dog whom I consider my own — Alvy, for Alvy Singer in Annie Hall. He is a mutt of many mixes.
Where do you live?
Williamsburg. Tribeca will always be my forever home but I love Williamsburg too.
The best deal around:
It has to be Benvenuto café’s chocolate chip pancakes. Ordered many a time at 2am in high school after sneaking out.
Most-frequented restaurants:
I am cheating the boundary, but Houseman is by far my favorite restaurant in New York City. I also love Greca, Wolfgang’s, Max and I have to mention Gee Whiz, RIP.
Sweet-tooth satisfaction:
Bubby’s pies. The banana toffee to be specific.
Most delicious cocktail:
I am a big martini guy so anywhere with a cold gin martini, but a particular favorite is the Dark and Stormy at Smith & Mills. That is an excellent cocktail.
I usually order in from Bubby’s and I always split with my brother the huevos rancheros and the sour dough pancakes.
I can’t resist popping into: I do everything I can to resist shopping but when left with no other choice — well, I can’t remember the last time I shopped.
I’m so glad the Battery Park City movie theater is in the neighborhood, because without it I’d have to go to Union Square and not get to walk along the river.
How I stay fit: I let my mom drag me out for a run along the river every two weeks or so.
Where I get beautiful: I do occasionally get my hair cut in Tribeca at Spiral XYZ.
What’s the area’s best-kept secret? This is really putting on my childhood shoes, but I loved Teardrop Park when I was younger but also in high school. It’s an oasis in the middle of the madness.
A recent enthusiasm: Zohran Mamdani stickers. We just did a big supporter design competition and got thousands of submissions. We printed out a dozen or so of the designs and I go around the office snagging them when I can.
A worthy splurge: Tribeca itself.
A recent case of sticker shock: Anytime I am buying a day-to-day item in Tribeca. The Tribecaflation never ceases to amaze.
When I am older, I’ll always remember the walk to 234 down Greenwich Street. When I started I was by myself as a kindergartener and when I finished I had two of my brothers with me. Making that walk and seeing everyone along the way — the profound sense of community that exists in Tribeca.
Advice for parents: I think as amazing as Tribeca is, a little bit of time outside Tribeca is good too. There’s a whole city out there.
Kids’ classes you’d recommend: Any basketball activity with Lamont [Williams] is a can’t-miss.
I’ve never been to any restaurant on Greenwich Street that opened post 2015. I am clinging to that nostalgic Tribeca and I don’t know why.
I wish I lived in… Tribeca. Back across the river.
Pet peeve: How put together everyone looks in Tribeca now. If you walk out in sweatpants and a tank top, you feel underdressed for a trip to the bodega. Everyone has to calm down and look a little messy. Let’s lower the temperature a little bit!
My most memorable celebrity sighting: Jay-Z and Beyoncé on Hudson and N. Moore. Probably over a decade ago. She was, like, glowing.
A local celebrity I’d like to run into: Elizabeth Sweeney, the vice principal at PS 234. She is the greatest.
The most romantic spot around: Wherever my three younger brothers are out of earshot.
Tribeca could use more Zohran voters and less Andrew Cuomo supporters.
My best Tribeca story: My friends and I used to close out Reade Street Pub and I would get Benvenuto and then go to the river and walk the long way home. That always felt very Tribeca.
Someone who lives here whom I really think you should meet: He’s a little outside, but Brad Hoylman-Sigal, the next borough president. I think he will do great things for Tribeca.
Best reason to go AboCa (aboveCanal): The reason so many of us love New York City is the vibrancy and diversity of culture and community. There are so many corners in this city and there is truly greatness in everyone of them. And we should all experience the greatness of the city and not just what’s below Canal.
Proof that change is good: So many of the things that people love about Tribeca now would not have been possible without change and so many of the things that people are frustrated with now are a result of lack of change, and I hope people remember that when they go to vote on November 4.
If I could change one thing about the neighborhood: I wouldn’t change anything about Tribeca. I would just like to see the same quality of life everywhere else.
I wish you had asked me about the 13 credible accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct against Andrew Cuomo.