This column originally appeared in The Politics Brief, our weekly newsletter on the people, power and policies that shape New Yorkers’ lives.<\/p>\n
Sign up<\/a> to get the full version where you can ask questions, share news tips and weigh in on the conversation. Hits inboxes on Wednesdays.<\/p>\n Fordham Road in the Bronx is just an hourlong train ride from Billionaire\u2019s Row in Manhattan. But the bustling thoroughfare might as well be a world away.<\/p>\n Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing an ongoing backlash<\/a> from the business world for his victory lap over a proposed pied-\u00e0-terre tax, which featured him calling out prominent billionaire Ken Griffin by name while standing outside of the Central Park South building where the hedge fund executive paid $238 million for a penthouse in 2019.<\/p>\n But New Yorkers on Fordham Road said they liked the mayor\u2019s decision to get personal with the uber rich. Fordham Road is the same busy roadway where Mamdani made a viral video<\/a> talking to voters about the affordability crisis while on the campaign trail last year.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m not going to shed any tears for a billionaire,\u201d 66-year-old Bronx resident Edwin Vega said after being shown the one-minute video. \u201cPeople are suffering, and the 1% are making so much money. It’s just galling.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it’s absurd if his feelings are hurt,\u201d the retired housing attorney added. \u201cWell, boo hoo. Who cares?\u201d<\/p>\n Critics have said Mamdani crossed a line by using Griffin\u2019s 24,000-square-foot penthouse to highlight the global elite\u2019s practice of using New York City residences as investments that benefit from the local real estate market, rather than as homes.<\/p>\n Griffin, the CEO of hedge fund Citadel Capital, said<\/a> this week that the mayor had made a \u201cpersonal attack\u201d against him. At a banking conference in Norway, he said Mamdani \u201cdemonstrated a profound lack of judgement.\u201d He has also threatened to pull the plug on a $6 billion Midtown office project.<\/p>\n The vast majority of Bronx residents we spoke to on Fordham Road hadn\u2019t heard of Mamdani\u2019s video \u2014 or Griffin. But most had no qualms with Mamdani\u2019s message after watching the video, which had nearly 52 million views on X as of Thursday morning.<\/p>\n Jasmine Jimenez, a 17-year-old Lehman High School student, said Mamdani helped \u201cNew Yorkers open their eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n Edward Cahill, a 58-year-old Upper West Sider, called Mamdani\u2019s video \u201cgreat\u201d and \u201crealistic.\u201d He scoffed at the idea that the mayor may have endangered Griffin.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the head of a hedge fund is one of the most protected and insulated people,\u201d Cahill said. \u201cHe’s got so many resources, so much privilege. He’s going to do what the bottom line dictates. If his feelings are hurt, I think that’s his problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Mamdani has since backed away from targeting the billionaire amid the kerfuffle. Last week, he called Griffin \u201can important employer and business leader.\u201d<\/p>\n The Citadel CEO is planning to meet with Gov. Kathy Hochul later this week \u2013 without the mayor present.<\/p>\n The sentiment on Fordham Road was not unanimous. Elton Mugwambi, a 27-year-old business school student, considered both sides.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe he was just trying to make a point of a proper example of somebody who’s rich, who needs to be taxed,\u201d he said. \u201cMaybe he didn’t like the guy, I don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that perhaps Mamdani had gone a little too far by showing Griffin\u2019s building.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems a bit personal,\u201d he said. \u201cBut other than that, the whole message and everything, I think it’s good.\u201d<\/p>\n ListenWe want to hear from you<\/p>\n This week, we\u2019re wondering: Do you think Mamdani\u2019s video calling out Ken Griffin was inappropriate?<\/p>\n We’ll share responses in next week’s newsletter. (Sign up<\/a>!)<\/p>\n