Maxime Kakhidze is an 8-year-old Brooklynite who\u2019s figured out a way to get Mayor Zohran Mamdani to solve a problem: go viral.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy parents always told me that my voice matters,\u201d said Kakhidze, who joined Mamdani last week at a press conference announcing a plan to fast track repairs at city parks. \u201cIf you see something that needs to be changed, never be afraid to speak up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kakhidze’s journey to becoming a pint-sized power broker began in April, when his parents posted an Instagram video<\/a> of him imploring Mamdani to reopen a playground at McKinley Park in Bay Ridge that had been closed for nearly two years. One month and 2 million views later, park officials responded with a message on his account: \u201cWe hear you loud and clear, Max. Enjoy the playground!\u201d<\/p>\n Mamdani is being inundated with online requests for IRL fixes. The videos, which have become a meme on TikTok<\/a>, show people begging Mamdani to take action on everything from mundane nuisances \u2014 like potholes and leaky subway stations \u2014 to more existential challenges like finding love<\/a>. The requests have become so popular that the mayor of Los Angeles has embraced the trend<\/a>, as have users everywhere from Manila to London.<\/p>\n \u201cThis generation grew up in the social media era,\u201d said Rahim Diallo, the owner of Ginjan Cafe in East Harlem.<\/p>\n Diallo, 40, and his brother recently filmed videos of themselves asking Mamdani to help them stave off crippling fines from the city.<\/p>\n Diallo called Mamdani the \u201cposter boy\u201d for leveraging social media. \u201cHe rode that to the mayor\u2019s mansion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Tagging elected officials on social media is hardly new. But the format took off under Mamdani in July after a resident posted a video of two potholes<\/a> and found them paved hours later. \u201cThat quick? I said this sh\u2013 literally in the morning, and it’s gone already,\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n Since that time, the idea of summoning the mayor online has become a running joke. Earlier this month, a Los Angeles comedian filmed herself asking Mayor Karen Bass to \u201cMamdani\u201d her pothole. Bass responded with two videos, the first<\/a> showing her at the scene finding a parked car blocking the pothole, followed by another<\/a> showing crews filling the pothole.<\/p>\n The trend has turned international. Last week, a London resident posted a video<\/a> on Instagram asking Mamdani to relieve crowding on the underground Tube. \u201cWe need more trains,\u201d he deadpanned. The post has over 1 million views.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear whether Mamdani watches the videos and directs city officials to respond.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether it’s 311 or social media posts, this administration takes every constituent concern seriously, works to address each one as quickly as possible, and is always there to help NYC residents and businesses navigate city regulations as needed.\u201d Mamdani spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said.<\/p>\n Kakhidze’s mother, Jane Kakhidze, said that the mayor told her son that he was one of the inspirations for his plan to assign a team<\/a> to make quick improvements to city parks.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was really powerful for him,\u201d she said, of her son. \u201cAnd he kept saying, \u2018Oh, I can change anything I want if I really put my heart into it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n But some problems are more complicated. Last Thursday, Diallo, the caf\u00e9 owner, and his brother Mohammed, 42, sat inside their darkened cafe, which health inspectors had shut down for operating without a permit. The Diallos said they had racked up $12,000 in unpaid fines. Permit renewals require businesses to have no unpaid outstanding fines or penalties.<\/p>\n According to the city health department, inspectors had cited the caf\u00e9 for multiple food safety violations over the last two years. They included keeping food at unsafe temperatures, a moldy ice machine, and evidence of pests.<\/p>\n Mohammed made no excuses for the violations, but he could not understand the city\u2019s logic. \u201cHow can a business pay you fines if they’re completely shut down?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Days earlier, Rahim made a video<\/a> in which he told Mamdani that small business owners like himself needed help navigating \u201cthe impossible business landscape in New York City.\u201d Mamdani recently announced a plan<\/a> to increase support for small business owners.<\/p>\n