Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Get Used To It.
After a brilliant campaign Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic nomination for Mayor of New York. He did not get fifty percent on June 24 so he awaits the July 1 tabulation of ranked choice voting by the Board of Elections, a formality.
No one likes him except the voters. While he faces Randy Andy Cuomo and Mayor Eric (“Seat 1A please”) Adams, effectively two has-beens in this context or maybe two never-weres, he will win and will be the next Mayor of New York.
In Adams’ formal announcement of his independent campaign he dumped on Mamdani, eloquently arguing that the coming general election is a “choice between dirty fingernails (his?) and manicured nails.” This guy has a way with words!
The rap on Mamdani is that the city will be ruined because he is a democratic socialist. Passing the fact that city is virtually ruined already, thanks to that genius capitalist Eric Adams, Mamdani deserves the right to explain and amplify his proposals.
Here are some of the things he is explaining.
Rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments. This will be done by the Rent Guidelines Board, the nine members of which are appointed by the Mayor. This has happened before. It is not a cash item.
City-owned supermarkets. He only wants one in each borough.
Pre-k for all. He says it costs $ 79 million.
Police. “Police have a critical role to play." He would not defund the police while seeking to increase the number of social workers so that NYPD can focus on more serious crimes. (It is my understanding that this is the position of Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the celebrated current Commissioner.)
I would venture that the reasons Mamdani has the support of the voters is that he has emphasized the financial woes of living in New York and that he has the warm, engaging manner and smile of a person you’d like to know.
Compare that with Randy Andy Cuomo and Seat 1A Eric Adams, two blowhards overcome with ego who pronounce everything with exclamation points even “I’m going to the bathroom!!” They wouldn’t know how to lighten upon even if they tried.
Mamdani will likely face Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa (does he remove the beret when he bathes?), the Republican, and independents Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo. Bill Ackman, the hedge fund honcho, has announced that he is putting together a fund to convince someone in the business community to run (fat chance).
Aside from his charm and his brilliance as a campaigner, Mamdani will win because he has the Democratic line and is the official candidate of the Democrats, by far the majority party in New York.
Even though no one likes him except for the voters!