{"id":24196,"date":"2025-10-31T15:39:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T15:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/24196\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T15:39:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T15:39:14","slug":"what-zohran-mamdani-can-realistically-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/24196\/","title":{"rendered":"What Zohran Mamdani Can Realistically Do"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a couple of days of early voting to go before Election Day in New York City, Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani has maintained a significant lead in the polls over his main competitor, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, months after Mamdani\u2019s generational upset<\/a> over Cuomo in the Democratic primary. <\/p>\n

To hear the candidate tell it<\/a>, that advantage is thanks to one thing: Mamdani\u2019s policy platform, which is laser-focused on making the city affordable for working people. <\/p>\n

The three-term state assemblyman and democratic socialist has a stacked to-do list<\/a> that includes freezing the rent on 1 million apartments, making buses fast and free, establishing universal child care, creating a network of five city-owned grocery stores, and spending billions of dollars to build rent-stabilized housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s focused on affordability, and he probably has one of the most expansive services agendas that we\u2019ve seen in decades,\u201d said Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission, a nonprofit think tank.<\/p>\n

Mamdani knows it\u2019s an ambitious list.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe job of city government isn\u2019t to tinker around the edges,\u201d he said<\/a> in a campaign video about the city-owned grocery store proposal. (Mamdani\u2019s campaign did not respond to HuffPost\u2019s request for comment for this story.) <\/p>\n

Big Apple political observers agree with Mamdani that his massive policy platform distinguishes him as a candidate. But big ideas require significant amounts of money, political capital or both. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are very real structural, budgetary and legal limits on what the city\u2019s chief executive can accomplish without the cooperation and support of other branches of city or state government,\u201d wrote<\/a> Carl Weisbrod, who co-chaired former Mayor Bill de Blasio\u2019s transition team<\/a> and then led the city\u2019s planning commission. <\/p>\n

Should Mamdani win on Tuesday, he\u2019ll face a balancing act.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be unreasonable for any mayor to think they\u2019re going to deliver right away on every promise,\u201d Rein said. \u201cHe\u2019s got to make those smart choices, and in his case, they should be bold choices, because he wants to deliver progress on his agenda. But he has to be able to do that while balancing the budget, preparing for federal cuts, and protecting critical services for needy New Yorkers and quality of life for all New Yorkers.\u201d <\/p>\n

Despite some<\/a> skepticism<\/a>, Mamdani\u2019s ideas don\u2019t break any laws \u2014 or, arguably, any laws of political gravity. Getting them done is a matter of political will and deft maneuvering. <\/p>\n

He would most likely be able to \u2018freeze the rent\u2019 for millions of New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

Mamdani\u2019s big-ticket campaign item \u2014 the one that leads his website<\/a> and is featured in TV ads<\/a> \u2014 is \u201cfreezing the rent\u201d for millions of city residents.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s talking about what are known as \u201crent-stabilized\u201d apartments, for which a government board determines landlords\u2019 maximum possible annual rent increases. There are around 1 million such units in the city, constituting almost half<\/a> of all rental units and housing over 2 million people<\/a>. (This reporter lives in a rent-stabilized apartment.) <\/p>\n

Yearly rent increase maximums in rent-stabilized units are determined by the Rent Guidelines Board. The board makes rent increase (or lack thereof) decisions in June, affecting rents starting in October. The mayor appoints members of that board, who serve anywhere from two- to four-year terms, depending on their role<\/a>. Mamdani has said<\/a> that he would only appoint board members \u201cwho understand that landlords are doing just fine.\u201d The rent has been frozen three times in the past six decades, all during de Blasio\u2019s tenure. <\/p>\n

Asked in one recent interview for a priority for his first 100 days in office, Mamdani didn\u2019t hesitate. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing is putting together my Rent Guidelines Board,\u201d he told FOX 5 New York<\/a> last week. \u201cThis is a key part, because for New Yorkers, the number one crisis of affordability is that of housing. They feel it every single day.\u201d (A second priority, he said, \u201cis actually to make government work again.\u201d) <\/p>\n

There are some caveats, though. <\/p>\n

Six out of nine members<\/a> of the current board are serving on terms that have already technically expired. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who\u2019s endorsed Cuomo<\/a>, has the power to replace them in the final days of his term and has hinted<\/a> he might do just that. However, board rules concerning outgoing mayors would mean that only four new board members \u201cwould actually continue on through the first year of a Mamdani administration,\u201d as HellGate reports<\/a>. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s also possible that certain Adams appointees could ultimately be convinced to support a rent freeze \u2014 and one of them, Alexander Armlovitch, told HellGate he would consider it in certain circumstances. Mamdani could also ask certain members to resign or move to dismiss them. But at that point, we\u2019d be in uncharted waters<\/a>, and the move might lead to a court battle. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy understanding as a policy person is that he has very broad authority over who he names to the Rent Guidelines Board. That\u2019s always been true of every mayor,\u201d said Jessica Katz, who has served in three mayoral administrations, including as Adams\u2019 housing chief<\/a> in 2022 and 2023. <\/p>\n

So, long story short, for nearly one-third of the city populace, Mamdani would likely be able to freeze the rent, though he may encounter some delay. <\/p>\n

He would accomplish his major priorities with help from allies \u2013 including the governor. <\/p>\n

For several key priorities, Mamdani would need the help of the city council, the governor, the state Legislature or some combination of that group.<\/p>\n

Universal no-cost child care for children between 6 weeks to 5 years old would cost somewhere around $6 billion, the campaign estimates<\/a>, though other estimates are higher. Making buses free would essentially entail the city paying riders\u2019 fares, which Mamdani has said would amount to somewhere<\/a> around<\/a> $700 million. Establishing a city-owned grocery store in each borough \u2014 which Mamdani has described<\/a> as \u201clike a public option for produce\u201d \u2014 would add some $60 million to the bill, The New York Times estimated<\/a> this summer.<\/p>\n

Some ideas \u2014 like city-owned grocery stores and, potentially, fare-free buses \u2014 could be included in the city\u2019s budget, which since 2022 has run over $100 billion annually<\/a> and most recently topped $115 billion<\/a>. Universal child care would likely require more than the city currently has to spare. <\/p>\n

Mamdani says<\/a> he can raise $10 billion through a mix of a 2% income tax on residents making more than $1 million per year, which the campaign says would raise $4 billion; raising the top state corporate tax rate to 11.5%, up from 7.25%, said to raise $5 billion; and a mix of procurement reform and collecting unpaid fines and taxes, which the campaign says would net nearly $1 billion. <\/p>\n

He wouldn\u2019t get everything done quickly, and certainly not in his first budget, which he\u2019d have to propose within weeks of taking office. <\/p>\n

And the big moneymakers \u2014 the income and corporate taxes \u2014 would need state approval. Mamdani has endorsements<\/a> from all of the state\u2019s major Democrats, signaling the tax hikes could ultimately make it through the Legislature. But Gov. Kathy Hochul has said<\/a> she is \u201cnot raising taxes at a time when affordability is the big issue,\u201d and her spokesperson recently reiterated<\/a> that she is \u201cnot open to raising income taxes.\u201d <\/p>\n

But Hochul is up for reelection in 2026. And committing to new taxes or some other form of funding for New York City \u2014 particularly to pay for a popular policy like universal child care \u2014 could be the price she pays for Mamdani and his supporters\u2019 backing<\/a> for another term. During a recent rally in Queens for Mamdani\u2019s campaign, where Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) also spoke, the governor\u2019s brief remarks<\/a> were interrupted with roaring chants of \u201cTax the rich!<\/a>\u201d as the Democratic leaders of the state Assembly and Senate stood behind her, grinning awkwardly. <\/p>\n

\u201cI can hear you,\u201d the governor eventually relented. (\u201cI couldn\u2019t hear what they were chanting,\u201d Hochul deadpanned to reporters<\/a> later. \u201cI thought they were saying, \u2018Let\u2019s go Bills.\u2019\u201d)<\/p>\n

Mamdani wouldn\u2019t only need Hochul\u2019s help for tax revenue, though. In order to construct 200,000 \u201cpermanently affordable, union-built, rent-stabilized homes\u201d over the next 10 years, the candidate proposes<\/a> spending $100 billion, adding $70 billion in municipal debt over the next decade to the $30 billion the city was already planning on incurring. In order to do that, he\u2019d need to raise the city\u2019s debt limit, which would require approval from the Legislature and governor. <\/p>\n

Other agenda items wouldn\u2019t require state approval. Mamdani has pitched making city buses both free and fast, for example, and the latter item is securely in the mayor\u2019s wheelhouse. Namely, he has campaigned on carrying out street redesign projects across the city, an area where Adams has long fallen<\/a> short<\/a>. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t cost much, you don\u2019t need Albany, all the tools are in the power of City Hall,\u201d Mamdani pitched voters in one ad<\/a>. <\/p>\n

There are more Mamdani proposals than we\u2019ve explored here. For example, he wants to establish a Department of Community Safety<\/a> to augment<\/a> the police department and \u201cprioritize prevention-first, community-based solutions, which have been consistently shown to better improve safety.\u201d He wants to raise the city\u2019s minimum wage to $30 by 2030 \u2014 another area requiring state approval<\/a> \u2014 and he would seek to incentivize<\/a> residential housing development by reforming \u201cour disjointed planning and zoning processes\u201d through things like eliminating parking minimums. The list is lengthy and includes ideas big and small. <\/p>\n

But the would-be mayor has a significant asset: political will. He\u2019s well-liked among New Yorkers, unlike his competitors<\/a>. And with enough popular support and dealmaking skill, there\u2019s a real path toward achieving his agenda, should he be elected. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the stranger opinions I have, given the context of this mayoral race and the increasingly unhinged attacks launched from the Andrew Cuomo camp, is that Mamdani\u2019s actual campaign platform is relatively modest,\u201d the writer and journalist (and, briefly, Mamdani\u2019s former boss<\/a>) Ross Barkan observed<\/a> recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe core planks do not stretch the political imagination all that much if you know anything about the recent history of the city.\u201d <\/p>\n

He would have to take on Trump while leading a massive bureaucracy. <\/p>\n

Donald Trump has hovered over the race. Should Mamdani win the mayor\u2019s office, the president has threatened to \u201ctake over\u201d the city \u2014 presumably with some combination of federal agents and military force \u2014 and cut its federal funding<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Trump has already approved cuts that will affect New Yorkers \u2014 namely, Republicans\u2019 \u201cbig, beautiful bill\u201d machete job, which slashed SNAP benefits and Medicaid to pay for massive tax cuts, largely for the rich<\/a>, and lots of new spending<\/a> on federal law enforcement and detention. <\/p>\n

The law \u201cwill cost the state of New York over $15 billion per year, kick 1.5 million New Yorkers off their health insurance, eliminate benefits for up to 1 million food stamp recipients, cause the loss of over 200,000 jobs, and threaten nearly half of all hospitals throughout the state with financial collapse,\u201d the Fiscal Policy Institute said<\/a> upon the bill\u2019s passage this summer. <\/p>\n

On top of that, Trump could attack funding<\/a> for the New York City Housing Authority, which would set back Mamdani\u2019s plans to \u201cdouble the city\u2019s capital investment in major renovations of NYCHA housing.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI think the major threat is Donald Trump,\u201d Mamdani said during an appearance on the HellGate podcast last week, when asked what he\u2019d be up against as mayor. He noted Trump\u2019s recent efforts to withhold $18 billion<\/a> in federal funding for New York City-area infrastructure projects and the president\u2019s attempt to create a mass deportation<\/a> force<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to approach this job with the expectation that crisis will be a regular part of life in dealing with Donald Trump, and that we simultaneously have to move the ball forward on medium- and long-term initiatives,\u201d he said. \u201cIt cannot be that every hour of every day is just spent in a defensive posture to Donald Trump, because part of the reason we got Donald Trump is that we didn\u2019t have an affirmative vision of what life would look like beyond Donald Trump.\u201d <\/p>\n

Katz, the veteran of city government, said Mamdani\u2019s team could make or break his potential tenure. The mayor leads an enormous bureaucracy, and the city\u2019s workforce hovers around 300,000, comparable to the overall population of Saint Paul, Minnesota, or Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. <\/p>\n

For every major policy, there are dozens of commitments and decisions the mayor and the mayor\u2019s appointees must make. <\/p>\n

\u201cGovernment insiders are looking to see the names of who he appoints,\u201d Katz said. \u201cThere\u2019s 300,000 city employees and 8 million New Yorkers. He\u2019s going to be running an operation at a scale which requires an amount of oversight and delegation that is a very gentle balance. So picking the right people, and letting them do their job, is going to be the number one thing that everyone\u2019s looking for who\u2019s been in these kind of positions before.\u201d <\/p>\n

And even with a great team in place, the city will have plenty of curveballs in store for the next mayor.<\/p>\n

In a recent profile<\/a> of Mamdani, an unnamed city hall veteran told The New Yorker that a mayor\u2019s waking hours are filled with bad choices.<\/p>\n

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