Early voting has already begun, and mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has been evasive about where he stands on a series of questions on the ballot. \u201cI’m appreciative that those measures will be on the ballot and that New Yorkers will be able to cast their votes for them,\u201d he said at the second mayoral debate last week, drawing jeers from his opponents Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa. When pressed since, he\u2019s continued to decline to take a position, and he\u2019s taken some heat for it \u2013 though he has said he intends to come out with one soon.<\/p>\n
Several of the proposals<\/a>, crafted by a Charter Revision Commission convened by Mayor Eric Adams, would benefit Mamdani if they pass and if he becomes the next mayor. Two would expedite development for some affordable housing projects and shift some of the City Council\u2019s power over the approval process to mayoral appointees. Another would create a three-person appeals board consisting of the mayor, the City Council speaker and the local borough president with the power to reverse City Council decisions to reject affordable housing projects. Together, the three proposals could go a long way in helping Mamdani deliver his housing agenda, including his proposal to build 200,000<\/a> new affordable homes over ten years. Another ballot measure would take steps to move elections to even years to align with the federal election calendar, possibly lengthening the amount of time Mamdani could stay in office. So why not support them?<\/p>\n With allies on both sides of the debate, Mamdani is in a politically precarious position. The City Council has launched a public education<\/a> campaign against the proposals, warning that the measures would take away communities\u2019 power in favor of developers. (Some members\u2019 positions vary slightly and some haven\u2019t taken a public stance.) The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, building workers union 32BJ SEIU \u2013 both of which endorsed Mamdani in the general election \u2013 and the District Council of Carpenters rallied against the proposals<\/a> with City Council leadership earlier this month. Union leaders have largely argued that if implemented, the changes would make it harder for workers to negotiate advantageous deals with developers.<\/p>\n At the same time, some of Mamdani\u2019s allies are among the proposals\u2019 most vocal supporters. Comptroller Brad Lander has been a vocal advocate, and Gov. Kathy Hochul has endorsed them. The pro-housing group Abundance New York, which has been promoting the proposals, has endorsed Mamdani, and another pro-housing group, Open New York, plans to recommend him in their voting guide Monday. Polling has showed that the housing-related measures are likely to pass.<\/p>\n The race for New York City Council speaker is a major factor that makes the issue tricky for Mamdani. It\u2019s a sprawling deal being hashed out<\/a> among members of Congress, labor unions, county machines, members themselves \u2013 and often the incoming mayor. The speaker sets the council\u2019s agenda and can be a major obstacle to the mayor if they are not aligned. If Mamdani wants to have any influence there, he has to tread carefully with the City Council members who will elect that leader. Crystal Hudson and Amanda Far\u00edas, council members vying to be the next speaker, were among the members present at the rally opposing the proposals earlier this month. \u201cYou can\u2019t like, punch somebody in the face and then ask them for something,\u201d said one source in council leadership. \u201cEverything is give and take in the realm of political influence, and as much as people have tried to camouflage this conversation to be about housing, it\u2019s not. It\u2019s about power and changing where power sits.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n