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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is rushing to deliver on signature campaign promises such as freezing rents and enacting a new tax on super-rich New Yorkers who own second homes. Along the way, he’s stirred consistent opposition from a veteran lawyer.
“There are few things more certain in New York City than death, taxes and Randy Mastro filing a lawsuit against this administration,” Mamdani said last month at a press conference shortly after a Staten Island judge issued a temporary order that halted the rollout of the pied-à-terre tax while the matter was litigated in court (the rollout is continuing despite the challenge).
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Mastro, a partner at the Dechert law firm, is representing a trio of homeowners arguing the Mamdani administration has put the burden on them to demonstrate their local residency and why they shouldn’t be wrapped into the pied-a-terre tax, set to affect New Yorkers with second homes worth at least $5 million, and coops and condos worth at least $1 million.
‘A botched rollout’
Mastro was quick to respond to Mamdani’s comment. “It’s a kind of compliment that I’m on the mayor’s mind, but I’d much rather not have to bring lawsuits on behalf of aggrieved New Yorkers because his administration is breaking the law,” he told the Wall Street Journal.
Earlier this month, Mastro was in court arguing that the Mamdani administration had failed to identify the eligible taxpayers and instead pushed those New Yorkers to hire lawyers in order to secure an exemption from the pied-à-terre tax.
“We’re here about a botched rollout of unparalleled proportions,” Mastro said in a court hearing on the pied-a-terre tax. The New York City Department of Finance has been tasked with determining which taxpayers are subject to the tax and began sending out notices in July to those who were possibly eligible.
Mastro has also been waging a legal fight against Mamdani’s proposal to freeze rent. On June 25, the New York City Rent Guidelines Board voted 7-1 to bar rent increases on about one million rent-stabilized apartments with one- and two-year leases. It quickly drew a legal challenge from landlords who argued Mamdani illegally influenced the board’s decision-making process.