Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani:\u00a0Good morning, everyone. It is a pleasure to be together to mark a new era of public-private partnership. Before I announce our administration’s vision for the Mayor’s Fund to advance New York City, I would like to first thank my\u00a0chief of\u00a0staff, Elle\u00a0Bisgaard-Church, and the new board members for joining us here today. I would also like to thank Kate Smith, the\u00a0executive\u00a0director of the Mayor’s Fund, for her long-time commitment to its success. We are grateful that she is staying on through this next chapter to continue its\u00a0good work. And lastly, thank you to the funding partners who are in the room with us, as well as those who\u00a0couldn’t\u00a0make it today, for all you do to support this city that we love.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Our administration holds an unwavering conviction that government can provide both public goods and public excellence, from filling more than 102,000 potholes across our city\u00a0to delivering on universal\u00a0child\u00a0care\u00a0to affordable groceries. And we also know that philanthropy has long played an essential role in New York City as an incubator for change and as a powerful tool to expand access to city programs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
I like to think of it this way. Government is driving the race car, and philanthropy is there to give it that turbo boost to cross the finish line. Or if you are a Mario Kart fan, government is Yoshi, and philanthropy is the golden mushroom,\u00a0[the]\u00a0edge we need to beat Bowser on the Rainbow Road. To belabor this metaphor even further, Bowser is corporate greed in this scenario. In all seriousness, when I think of the Mayor’s Fund, I think of New Yorkers from every industry, every borough, coming together. I think of the vision that has defined some of our city’s most ambitious initiatives.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Initiatives like the Summer Youth Employment Program, also known as SYEP, the largest and longest-running summer jobs program in the country. This is a prime example of a partnership that serves all New Yorkers, from the young people who earn money at jobs that interest them, to the employers who have an extra helping hand, to the community members who\u00a0benefit\u00a0from those businesses. And\u00a0it’s\u00a0made possible with philanthropic dollars through the Mayor’s Fund, the 501(c)(3)\u00a0that has formalized the partnership between\u00a0City government and philanthropy since 1994.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As we bring a new era of ambitious governing to City Hall, we will bring that same commitment to excellence to the Mayor’s Fund. As we do so, our first order of business will be assembling a board with a deep understanding of the needs of working New Yorkers, one that has taught in our schools, hauled shipments on our docks\u00a0and paid dues to our unions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today, I am proud to announce the person chairing that board will be my\u00a0chief of\u00a0staff, Elle Bisgaard-Church. Elle brings a mix of passion,\u00a0competence\u00a0and a deep love for New York City to everything that she does. She will deliver a fresh sense of purpose and direction to the Mayor’s Fund as it advances our administration’s larger vision for what is possible here in New York City. There is no one who works harder for working people. As my former roommate, State Senator Jabari\u00a0Brisport, once put it,\u00a0\u201cI\u00a0don’t\u00a0know when she sleeps.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In many ways, this will mark a continuation of Elle’s work as\u00a0chief of\u00a0staff. As we work with partners on the Mayor’s Fund, we will target funding that advances many of the goals we have pursued from City Hall. Addressing food insecurity, keeping our communities safe\u00a0and setting ourselves on a path to universal\u00a0child care\u00a0for New York’s cutest aged six weeks and up. Our newly created Child Care Action Fund will be a cornerstone of our work in building out our universal\u00a0child care\u00a0infrastructure. And it is the answer to a question I know many have been asking.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since I began my run for\u00a0mayor, I have heard from New Yorkers all over the city, excited by the idea of universal\u00a0child care, who want to get involved in the effort to make it a reality. And\u00a0I’ve\u00a0heard from philanthropists, foundations and business leaders who rightly recognize the benefits that universal\u00a0child care\u00a0will compound. That they will be measured in children with better educational outcomes, in parents that can return to the workforce\u00a0and in a local economy supercharged by top talent able to not only move to New York City because they can finally imagine it, but also because they could finally afford to build a family and a life here.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
To those people who want to help, I say the Child Care Action Fund is your way to get involved. This fund will help us build the infrastructure necessary to make universal\u00a0child care\u00a0accessible to every New Yorker who needs it. To that end, we have set the ambitious goal of raising $20 million in 2026. And today,\u00a0I’m\u00a0so proud to be joined here by so many to announce that we are already well on our way. More than $3.5 million have already been committed to this fund.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
This partnership already stands on\u00a0a strong foundation. These funds will go towards five key priorities: the first, family outreach and engagement; the second, direct support for providers; the third, workforce development; the fourth, physical capacity building;\u00a0and the fifth and final, research and innovation. I want to say thank you once again to the philanthropic organizations who have already committed to this work. The Marguerite Casey Foundation,\u00a0NYC\u00a0Forward Fund and Robin Hood for their direct support.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
We look forward to adding more names and organizations to that list. And let me be clear, the Child Care Action Fund is just one of several initiatives that will work to boost the ambitious goals of our administration. It will provide the opening for private-public partnerships that have done so much good in this city already. As the old proverb goes,\u00a0\u201cIf you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.\u201d\u00a0New York City,\u00a0let’s\u00a0show the rest of the world what it looks like when we can go far together. Thank you very much. And with that, I will pass it over to our new chair, Elle Bisgaard-Church.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elle Bisgaard-Church, Chief of Staff\u00a0to the Mayor:\u00a0Thank you,\u00a0mayor,\u00a0for your kind words and for the opportunity to serve as chair of the board. I want to thank\u00a0all of\u00a0our partners here today with us who are working to advance City Hall’s affordability agenda, including my fellow members of the board.\u00a0I’m\u00a0excited to embark on this new era for the Mayor’s Fund alongside Julie Chen,\u00a0[from]\u00a0Institutional Giving Manager at CAAAV, organizing Asian communities; [and]\u00a0Christina\u00a0Cover, an English language arts teacher and literacy coordinator at a public high school in the Bronx. Christina is currently in class, so hello to you and your students watching online.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shawn Morehead,\u00a0executive\u00a0vice\u00a0president and\u00a0chief\u00a0program\u00a0officer at the New York Community Trust;\u00a0Rickke\u00a0Mananzala,\u00a0president of the New York Foundation;\u00a0Javier Vald\u00e9s, U.S.\u00a0director of Civic Engagement and Government at the Ford Foundation;\u00a0and Tony Perlstein, an organizer at UAW and former\u00a0longshore\u00a0worker. Mayor Mamdani was elected to build an affordable city that serves the needs of all New Yorkers. Our administration has worked relentlessly these first 100 days in office to make good on our\u00a0democratic mandate.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
From creating the first-ever Office of Community Safety, a critical step towards building the Department of Community Safety, to holding bad landlords accountable and launching 2-K, the administration is taking concrete and strategic action to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors. But this work\u00a0can’t\u00a0be done alone, and we welcome the support of diverse individuals and organizations. Philanthropy has a vital role to play in realizing our administration’s agenda.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
We hope to create generous partnerships that infuse new money into the public sector to address the pressing issues facing New York City, and\u00a0we’re\u00a0excited to tell you a little bit more about some of that work soon. The primary goal of the Mayor’s Fund is to match the city’s extraordinary human resources, the energy, creativity, and vision of New Yorkers, with the requisite financial backing\u00a0in\u00a0order to\u00a0develop efficient and effective solutions. The Mayor’s Fund will be led by the same values that guide all our administration’s work. We believe that a\u00a0democratic government should not be an opaque,\u00a0distant\u00a0and unanswerable force. We want to involve everyday New Yorkers with the management of their city in new ways.\u00a0So,\u00a0we are quite literally giving them a seat at a table with our new board members here today.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
We also believe the people of New York City deserve transparency and integrity from their government. We will\u00a0disclose\u00a0our donors and their donations on an annual basis. This is just the beginning. I look forward to deepening our partnership with the philanthropic community to realize an optimistic and bold vision for a great and flourishing New York. Thank you. Thank you. And with that, I am delighted to introduce Dr. Carmen Rojas,\u00a0president and CEO of the Marguerite\u00a0Casey Foundation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carmen Rojas, President and CEO, Marguerite Casey Foundation:\u00a0Good morning, everyone. It is such an honor to be here with you, Mayor\u00a0Mamdani and\u00a0with your amazing team. My name is Carmen Rojas, and\u00a0I’m\u00a0the\u00a0president and CEO of [the]\u00a0Marguerite\u00a0Casey Foundation. At Marguerite\u00a0Casey Foundation, we believe that every family deserves affordable,\u00a0safe\u00a0and stable\u00a0child care. And we believe\u00a0it’s\u00a0our government’s job to make it accessible to absolutely everybody. We know that dependable\u00a0child care\u00a0has long been a privilege for the rich and a burden for working families.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As people watch their grocery bills increase, their rent getting\u00a0higher\u00a0and\u00a0as they spend one-fifth of their wages making sure their children are cared for,\u00a0[the]\u00a0Marguerite\u00a0Casey Foundation knows that we need to\u00a0provide\u00a0meaningful answers to these questions. We need real solutions. And as a result,\u00a0we’ve\u00a0decided to invest $3 million to make sure that we can\u00a0actually\u00a0demonstrate\u00a0what it looks like when government works for working people.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Providing universal\u00a0child care\u00a0is a real solution to the issues people are facing. This is really the kind of bold leadership that we as a foundation want to support across the country and are so proud that we can start here in New York City.\u00a0I’m\u00a0so hopeful that more funders,\u00a0donors\u00a0[and]\u00a0foundations will join us in supporting the Mayor’s Fund. This is\u00a0a really incredible\u00a0opportunity for philanthropy to stand in line with an administration\u00a0that’s\u00a0showing everybody what it looks like when public dollars work for the public good.\u00a0Thank you so much, Mayor Mamdani, for this opportunity and for showing our country what’s possible when government works for working people.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chief of Staff\u00a0Bisgaard-Church:\u00a0Thank you. And now we will have Shawn Morehead,\u00a0executive\u00a0vice\u00a0president and\u00a0chief\u00a0program\u00a0officer at the New York Community Trust, join us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shawn Morehead, Executive Vice President and Chief Program Officer, The New York Community Trust:\u00a0Thank you,\u00a0madam\u00a0chairwoman\u00a0and Mr. Mayor. Congratulations to you and your team on the launch of the Child Care Action Fund. As Elle said, I am the\u00a0executive\u00a0vice\u00a0president and\u00a0chief\u00a0program\u00a0officer at the New York Community Trust. The New York Community Trust is the community foundation for the eight downstate counties of New York, including, of course,\u00a0I’m\u00a0a little biased, the five boroughs of New York City. As part of our work as the community foundation, we really try to support projects that will help transform government so that it is accountable to all New Yorkers and delivers in ways that we can see and feel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
And as a part of that, we have been\u00a0really proud\u00a0to host the NYC\u00a0Forward Fund,\u00a0in which we had 15 national and local foundations contribute to help promote an effective and efficient mayoral transition. I am proud to recognize several fund members here, including the Governing for\u00a0America Fund, the Freedom Together Fund, the\u00a0Scherman\u00a0Foundation, which is here today, as well as the New York Foundation. And Rickke\u00a0Mananzala\u00a0and Elizabeth Guernsey\u00a0have co-chaired the New York City Forward Fund with me.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
We are\u00a0very proud\u00a0to\u00a0make a commitment to the Mayor’s Child Care Action Fund. Child care is one of the topics that our collective group of foundations has chosen to focus on, not only because child care is in itself such a vital service for families and benefits our kids tremendously, but also because it is a service that local government can deliver,\u00a0and it can do it quickly and well and make a huge and material difference in the lives of families living in New York City.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
New York City is showing the\u00a0way,\u00a0and we believe\u00a0that it will continue to do so.\u00a0So,\u00a0congratulations\u00a0again to the administration and to my colleagues. We look forward to our continuing partnership and our continuing joint efforts to make New York City the best place it can\u00a0possibly\u00a0be\u00a0for\u00a0everybody who lives here. Thank you.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0I’m\u00a0just curious\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0A lot of people ask me about jumping in the swimming pool.\u00a0I’m\u00a0going to get back to you soon.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0What is the status of some of the initiatives that were launched with the Mayor’s Fund under Mayor Adams? And additionally, I mean, this is\u00a0maybe a\u00a0wonky question, but will you update your 990s at any point just so we can get a sense of how much money has been raised since I know it only runs through the calendar year 2023?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0So,\u00a0on the first question, I’ll tell you that that is going to be one of the first tasks of this new board is to take a look at not just the current commitments, but the prior commitments and to see what the status of all of that is, as well as the allocations that had been made or had not been made, and then get back to you on that. And then on the 990\u00a0question,\u00a0I’m\u00a0going to be honest, I think\u00a0we’re\u00a0going to have to get back to you on that question.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0When do you\u00a0anticipate\u00a0naming a board of advisors to the fund? I know\u00a0previous\u00a0mayors have done that, and that’s\u00a0sort of where\u00a0we see some of the connections to corporate leaders. And then also, why do you need the fund to raise money for childcare if Governor Hochul gave you the funding that you needed\u00a0for the next two years? Is it because\u00a0you’re\u00a0trying something experimental with the fund, or\u00a0what’s\u00a0the\u00a0impetus here?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0I think the beauty of this opportunity\u00a0is a chance to supplement the immediate needs that we are delivering on through this $1.2 billion partnership with the governor. When we went through the five focuses of what this Child Care Action Fund will do, it also speaks to the medium and long-term needs of this city,\u00a0and also\u00a0the importance of bringing in more New Yorkers to inform those needs.\u00a0I’ll\u00a0just bring Emmy up to the microphone to share a little bit\u00a0additional\u00a0to that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Executive Director Emmy Liss, Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education:\u00a0Thanks,\u00a0mayor.\u00a0So, as the mayor outlined with our five priorities, we’re hoping to build towards the long-term infrastructure we need, make sure we have the child\u00a0care workforce and that workforce is supported, build the physical space we need for child\u00a0care\u00a0and make sure that in this expansion work, we are taking real steps to support our child\u00a0care providers. The Child Care\u00a0Action Fund will give us the opportunity to test and pilot and innovate\u00a0new ideas\u00a0that we then can take and scale with government funding. It gives us an opportunity to address immediate-term needs that are not necessarily covered in the governor’s investment in our\u00a0child\u00a0care\u00a0expansion, so that we can move quickly, move nimbly and supplement the work that we are doing with the governor’s investment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0And then\u00a0[with the]\u00a0Board of Advisors,\u00a0any\u00a0anticipated\u00a0date when you would name members to that?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chief of Staff\u00a0Bisgaard-Church:\u00a0I’d\u00a0just say this is the first step with our Board of Directors, who now will take on the question of the Board of Advisors. So,\u00a0you should hear from us soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
[Crosstalk.]\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0I\u00a0wanted to ask you about the governor’s proposal when it comes to this\u00a0pied-\u00e0-terre\u00a0tax. Are you satisfied? Because\u00a0it’s\u00a0only going\u00a0to\u00a0give you less than 10\u00a0percent, I mean a fraction of what\u00a0you’re\u00a0asking for to\u00a0close this $5 billion gap. I also wanted to ask you about the video that was released yesterday from the\u00a0attorney\u00a0general’s\u00a0office, related to the body cam footage and the death of\u00a0Adrian Cevallos. Have you seen it, and what does it say about how the NYPD uses tasers in mental health responses?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0So, I will first start with the first question. You know,\u00a0I think it\u00a0is worthy\u00a0of celebration when we work together with the governor to put forward a proposal that will raise a half billion dollars every year by taxing the wealthiest of the wealthy. And just to give a sense of who\u00a0we’re\u00a0talking about when we speak about a taxation of secondary properties that are owned by non-resident New Yorkers,\u00a0we’re\u00a0speaking about Saudi billionaire\u00a0Fawaz\u00a0Alhokair, who\u00a0purchased\u00a0a\u00a0$95 million penthouse at 432 Park.\u00a0We’re\u00a0speaking about a Russian auto dealer,\u00a0Alexander Varshavsky, who\u00a0purchased\u00a0a\u00a0$20.5 million property, all in cash.\u00a0We’re\u00a0talking about the levels of wealth that are storing themselves here in New York City, all at the time at which our city is facing a generational fiscal crisis.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
So,\u00a0I think that this\u00a0is something worthy of celebration as part of the work that we are doing together with the governor. And we know that the budget conversations continue. We\u00a0anticipate\u00a0that they\u00a0will continue for the next few weeks. And frankly, it is refreshing to be working with the governor and legislative leaders, all of whom are committed to the long-term well-being of this city. And to the second question, you know,\u00a0I think that it\u00a0is critically important that body-worn camera footage be made public. And I think\u00a0it’s\u00a0important\u00a0for New Yorkers to be able to see for themselves and make their own judgments. I know the investigation is ongoing. And as it proceeds, we will continue to share updates as\u00a0appropriate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0Have you seen it, though?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0I\u00a0haven\u2019t\u00a0seen\u00a0it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0Another question about the pied-\u00e0-terre\u00a0tax. You know, when it was abandoned a few years ago in Albany, one of the reasons for that was concerns about the sort of practicality of\u00a0actually implementing\u00a0it. You know, like, there are anonymous LLC owners. There are these questions about co-ops. There was an LLC transparency law a couple\u00a0[of]\u00a0years\u00a0ago that you\u00a0supported, but\u00a0was\u00a0basically gutted\u00a0by the governor last year. So,\u00a0any efforts underway to\u00a0sort of identify\u00a0how this could\u00a0actually be\u00a0implemented in a practical way, given those\u00a0previous\u00a0concerns?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0Absolutely. The administration of this tax is as important as the introduction of it. And that is why we celebrate it, is not only because of it as an idea, but because of our confidence in its ability to raise at least $500 million for the city on an annual basis. And I will also say this, that there are times in politics where political concerns are dressed up as practical and procedural ones, and they mask a lack of political will. And it is something that is incredibly heartening to be working with the governor to deliver on something that had been stonewalled for so many years, and yet so many New Yorkers thought it was the kind of common-sense solution to the inequality that\u00a0we’re\u00a0seeing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0Anything\u00a0can say about\u00a0what\u00a0you’re\u00a0actually looking\u00a0at in terms of concerns that need to be addressed from a few years ago?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0I think all of the top minds in City Hall who have to do with property tax collection and the administration of these kinds of taxes, they have been at the heart of these conversations, and there’s a confidence in not only that this will be a part of how we balance our budget, but that we will actually be able to collect this kind of money.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0I want to start with a question that\u00a0your\u00a0wife gave recently. Specifically, do you know which tweets\u00a0she’s\u00a0apologizing for? Was it for using the N-word or saying Tel Aviv\u00a0shouldn’t\u00a0exist? And more recently, she liked posts that celebrated October 7th.\u00a0She’s\u00a0continued to remain silent on that. And finally, the article calls her a public figure, which she\u00a0doesn’t\u00a0push back on. And at the same time, you said to me a couple of months ago when I asked you specifically about her, you said that\u00a0she’s\u00a0not a public figure and does not owe an explanation for her posts.\u00a0So,\u00a0can you clarify that for us?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0So,\u00a0look, I think\u00a0first\u00a0and foremost,\u00a0I’ll\u00a0say that I made the decision to run for mayor,\u00a0and in doing so,\u00a0become an incredibly public figure. And this is also a decision that then has ramifications for those that I love and those that are around me. My wife made the decision to be an artist. And\u00a0I think that these kinds of questions\u00a0are\u00a0part and parcel\u00a0of what is coming with myself being the mayor of the city. But at the end of the day, it is my decision to be in this position. It is my responsibility to the people of New York City. I am grateful that much of the questions that she faces are also questions about her artistry and the work that she does, because that is also who she is. You know, she shared some of her reflections in this interview. I\u00a0won’t\u00a0add much to them. What I will say, however, is that she is someone of incredible integrity.\u00a0She’s\u00a0someone that I am lucky to be able to call my wife and that I am proud of her\u00a0each and every\u00a0day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0I want to go back to the video. I know that\u00a0you’ve\u00a0had a lot of questions about it, but the community in Brooklyn where the violent arrest\u00a0occurred,\u00a0has been complaining about increased drug problems for a long time in the area.\u00a0I’m\u00a0wondering, will there be an increased police presence there because of the problems of drug use there? And can the NYPD gain the trust of the community because this incident happened?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0I think that the first order of business that we have is the investigation into that video. And I know that is something that is continuing.\u00a0I’ve\u00a0shared my\u00a0thoughts on the fact that it is not only incredibly disturbing but also unacceptable. And that investigation, as it continues, these two detectives have been placed on modified duty. And as we have updates in that investigation, and they are ones to share with the public, then I will do so. When it comes to delivering on the needs of any community across the city, I have confidence in the NYPD’s ability to do so. Because as we know, these are concerns that we can see our approach to public safety have\u00a0[been]\u00a0effective at addressing at a larger sense. But the work always\u00a0continues\u00a0on\u00a0a\u00a0day-to-day basis.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0I just wonder\u00a0if you think there should be an increased police presence there to deal with this drug problem.\u00a0Because even though this is a horrific incident that we saw the video\u00a0of,\u00a0the underlying problem still exists.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0I think what I can\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0What do you want to see happen to the people in that community who have, you know, legitimate concerns?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0I think what\u00a0I’ll\u00a0share is that what\u00a0I’ve\u00a0heard much of in these last few days, the first concern that\u00a0I’ve\u00a0heard from so many across the community is about the health and wellness of that individual. And I am heartened to hear that he is healing at home.\u00a0I think that that\u00a0is where our priority\u00a0has to\u00a0be. And then as we address that, to also address longer-standing community\u00a0concerns, absolutely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0You’ve\u00a0had some concerns about the\u00a0City\u00a0Council’s two buffer zone bills.\u00a0I\u00a0think you\u00a0have another week and a half or so to decide what to do. But now that you’ve had time to think about them since they’ve passed, I’m just wondering what\u00a0your\u00a0thinking is on each of them and whether you see them as separate because, as you know, one passed with a veto-proof majority and one passed without it.\u00a0So,\u00a0the council\u00a0seems to\u00a0be\u00a0drawing a distinction in the quality of those two bills.\u00a0So,\u00a0I just wanted to get your update.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0I would say that regardless of a vote count, I will always consider pieces of legislation independently, no matter if\u00a0they’re\u00a0introduced as a package or voted on together, and that I will continue to consider the options that we have.\u00a0I’ve\u00a0heard from\u00a0a number of\u00a0New Yorkers about their concerns about aspects of this legislation. And I will be\u00a0making a decision\u00a0on that shortly. As you said, the deadline is at the end of next week. And\u00a0we’ll\u00a0then share that publicly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0[inaudible] any\u00a0concerns\u00a0that\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0heard?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0I think\u00a0at this time,\u00a0it’s\u00a0more about incorporating those concerns in the discussion\u00a0we’re\u00a0having internally and then coming to a decision\u00a0on the basis of\u00a0that. Thank you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0You’ve\u00a0been quite outspoken about the situation\u00a0regarding\u00a0FIFA ticket pricing. If you look at the Knicks playoff tickets, it costs\u00a0roughly $380\u00a0to get in the door for\u00a0game\u00a0one\u00a0at MSG and about $80 to get in the door in Atlanta.\u00a0So,\u00a0I’m\u00a0wondering if you think the Knicks need to be doing more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0I think first I would say that I blame\u00a0Trae Young. And I think\u00a0it’s\u00a0always important to blame Trae\u00a0Young. Look, I think that we have seen sports become\u00a0more and more\u00a0of a luxury commodity. And that is not what it always used to be.\u00a0My political mentor is Bernie Sanders. And Bernie Sanders has shared\u00a0time and again\u00a0that one of the moments where he realized just how broken this political system\u00a0is\u00a0was when he saw the Dodgers be taken away from Brooklyn. And\u00a0I think it\u00a0just speaks to the many ways in which New Yorkers,\u00a0time and again, are being pushed out of the very things that give them so much joy. I\u00a0am\u00a0still confident and hopeful of a championship this year. I do wish,\u00a0however, that\u00a0all\u00a0of\u00a0these tickets were far more affordably priced. And, you know,\u00a0I think that there\u00a0are many New Yorkers for whom the game is something that is celebrated across the entire city. When the Knicks do well, you feel it across this whole city. And\u00a0it’s\u00a0not just for those who can afford to go to the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0But you know\u00a0it’s\u00a0only going to get worse if they do move toward a championship. I think the presale on the\u00a0finals\u00a0tickets, which they of course\u00a0didn’t\u00a0make last year,\u00a0was like three grand\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0You\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0have to say that.\u00a0We all know.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0It hurts me too. But you know\u00a0it’s\u00a0only going to get worse.\u00a0So,\u00a0I mean\u00a0the question is, does Knicks ownership need to be doing more to give away free tickets, give away discounted tickets, something to help fans enjoy this experience?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0I think that every single owner of a sports team across the country needs to be doing more to make their tickets more affordable. Truly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0I want to talk about your predecessor.\u00a0You’ve\u00a0been\u00a0really critical\u00a0of him at many opportunities. And\u00a0you’ve\u00a0said that\u00a0you’re\u00a0going to diverge from him in many ways. Like mayoral control, encampment sweeps, the\u00a0CityFHEPS\u00a0lawsuit. And then,\u00a0as\u00a0you’ve\u00a0become mayor,\u00a0you’ve\u00a0reversed and\u00a0kind of followed\u00a0in similar footsteps as Eric Adams. And\u00a0you’ve\u00a0touted accomplishments that were\u00a0actually started\u00a0or mostly completed under the\u00a0previous\u00a0administration, the Hungry Panda settlement, the Weeksville Heritage Center, the scaffolding removal,\u00a0child care\u00a0for city workers,\u00a0hotel\u00a0junk\u00a0fees\u00a0rules.\u00a0I’m\u00a0curious if in office you have a different kind\u00a0of\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a different feeling about your predecessor. Do you think about Eric Adams differently now?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0No.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0How do you think about him?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0The same way that I did before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0How would you describe that?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani:\u00a0I am speaking to you a few months into serving as our city’s mayor after having inherited what was initially a $12 billion fiscal deficit. It was not a deficit that was created by an external set of circumstances. It was not the Great Recession that was affecting the entire country. This was a deficit that was created by City Hall. And so, it is hard to have all that much of appreciation for a predecessor when you are looking at systemic under-budgeting of long-term expenses that drive a city to face a generational fiscal crisis and to not even have the honesty about that level of deficit. It is one that means we have to clean this up even though it was created far before we were here. And that is the responsibility of leadership and that is what comes with this position. But it also means that my opinions about the mayor have not changed.<\/p>\n
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