What to expect at NYC mayoral debate
The three New York City mayoral candidates will be back on the debate stage on Wednesday night. FOX 5 NY’s Briella Tomassetti has a look at what to expect.
NEW YORK – Democratic nominee for New York City’s mayoral race Zohran Mamdani is coming for city scaffolding that has “overstayed its welcome.”
‘Shed the sheds’
What we know:
One of Mamdani’s proposals if he wins the mayoral election is to tackle sidewalk sheds in the city.
Workers remove a scaffolding shed outside the Office of the Medical Examiner on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
A Citizens Union report from 2023 revealed that there are over 8,500 active sidewalk sheds across New York City, spanning over 380 miles of scaffolding.
Mamdani recently posted about the issue, stating that over 1,000 sheds have been up for three or more years.
Local perspective:
Legislation addressing the issue of sidewalk sheds was signed into law in April, but Mamdani argues that New York City Mayor Eric Adams is not enforcing it.
The laws, sponsored by New York City Councilmembers Keith Powers and Erik Bottcher, include reducing the duration of a sidewalk shed permit from one year to three months and strengthening oversight of sidewalk shed permit renewals.
One of the bills also institutes new penalties for property owners who fail to conduct timely repairs on sheds in a public right of way.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 03: A woman walks by a poster for the theatrical release of “Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” at AMC Lincoln Square 13 theater on October 03, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Ima
Mamdani breaks his plan to handle the sheds down in four steps:
Remove all sheds on city properties that have been up for over three years.Double the inspection timeline from five to ten years for newer buildings.Incentivize buildings to help sheds get down quickly.Implement safer, brighter scaffolding design standards.
The Source: This article includes information from a social media post made by Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and a report from Citizens Union.