![\"man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/coneyisland_mamdani_021526.jpg\" "\\"MAMDANI\u2019S")
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani, left, with Dennis Vourderis of Deno\u2019s Wonder Wheel Park. <\/p>\n
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n
Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 14-Feb. 15, marked the 45th and 46th days of Zohran Mamdani\u2019s term as mayor. amNewYork is following Mamdani around his first 100 days in office as we closely track his progress on fulfilling campaign promises, appointing key leaders to government posts, and managing the city\u2019s finances. Here\u2019s a summary of what the mayor did yesterday and today.<\/p>\n
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Sunday the establishment of the Coney Island Business Improvement District (BID), aiming to bolster small businesses with a $1 million investment.<\/p>\n
The investment will include a \u201cvariety of sanitation and beautification efforts,\u201d enhanced marketing materials, additional greenery, and power-washed communal spaces.<\/p>\n
Mamdani said at Sunday\u2019s press conference announcing the BID that \u201cfor far too long, the city and state have failed to invest in Coney Island in a meaningful way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s true for both the colorful shops that cater to beachgoers and the mom and pop pharmacies that sustain those who call this home,\u201d Mamdani said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
BIDs in New York City<\/a> are areas where \u201clocal stakeholders oversee and fund the maintenance, improvement, and promotion of their commercial district.\u201d While not replacing city services, BIDs aim to \u201cdeliver services and improvements above and beyond those typically provided by the city.\u201d<\/p>\n Not-for-profit organizations run BIDs, and board members must include property owners, merchants, residents, and representatives of local elected offices. BIDs are funded by fees applied to property owners in the designated area in addition to philanthropy and grants.<\/p>\n The mayor noted the remaining damage from Hurricane Sandy in Coney Island and the rising cost of living in the neighborhood and across the city. Coney Island is home to over 100,000 people with a poverty rate of 26.3% \u2014 higher than the city\u2019s poverty rate of 18.2%.<\/p>\n The announcement comes after the mayor signed a January executive order<\/a> seeking to cut fees and fines for small businesses within six months.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we work to transform the lives of working Coney Islanders, City Hall remains laser focused on passing our affordability agenda,\u201d Mamdani said. Mamdani\u2019s 2025 mayoral campaign revolved almost entirely around affordability measures. He promised to freeze the rent on rent stabilized apartments, eliminate bus fares, and open city-owned grocery stores with stabilized pricing. The mayor has gone after junk fees, hidden fees, and landlords in his first weeks in office.<\/p>\n Mamdani was joined at the press conference by Coney Island Council Member Kayla Santosuosso (D-Brooklyn), who joined the mayor in signing the certificate of incorporation for the BID.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite being one of the city\u2019s most iconic neighborhoods, the unfortunate fact is that a sad history of government neglect of this area has made Coney Islanders accustomed to going to bat for basic services that the rest of the city takes for granted,\u201d Santosuosso said. \u201cThat ends today.\u201d<\/p>\n Santosuosso thanked her predecessor, former Council Member Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn) for pushing the project \u201cacross the finish line\u201d alongside business owners and community advocates.<\/p>\n Dennis Vourderis, the co-owner of Deno\u2019s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park and a board member for Alliance for Coney Island, said he looks forward \u201cto all the benefits it\u2019ll bring, not just to the amusement district, but also to Mermaid Avenue, which it richly deserves.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Vourderis said that BID services will be five days each week in-season and three days a week during the off-season.\n<\/p>\n Pamela Pettyjohn, founder and president of the Coney Island Beautification Project, thanked the mayor for the \u201chistoric\u201d opportunity for Coney Island.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe expect the formation of the Coney Island BID will be important to all of us,\u201d Pettyjohn said. \u201cHopefully the BID will carry out our beautification efforts, providing the structure, resources, and long term commitment needed to keep our work going year after year, building on the work of Coney Island Beautification Project.\u201d<\/p>\n Mamdani officiates weddings at City Hall, congratulates nurses\u2019 contract agreements<\/p>\n Mamdani shared on Saturday \u2014 Valentine\u2019s Day \u2014 that he stopped by the New York City Marriage Bureau<\/a> on Thursday, Feb. 5, to surprise a few New York couples by officiating their weddings.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s the best of New York,\u201d Mamdani said in the video. \u201cYou see all these couples \u2014 so many different stories, so many different ages, so many different lives, and they\u2019re all coming to get married.\u201d<\/p>\n The mayor himself got married early last year at the same clerk\u2019s office to artist Rama Duwaji.\n<\/p>\n
\n![\"people](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/coney-island-bid-0201626.jpg\" "\\"MAMDANI\u2019S")
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the new Coney Island BID that aims to help small businesses.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell\n<\/p>\n