Now comes the hard part: Unity.
Zohran Mamdani rode a wave of economic turmoil, establishment dissatisfaction and many campaign promises to victory in the 2025 NYC Mayor’s Race. On Jan. 1, he will become the 111th mayor of the city of New York.
The more than 2 million people who showed up at the polls in this election reflected the energy that Mamdani injected into New York City politics, which had been relatively stagnant for nearly 20 years. Nevertheless, while he claims a mandate after winning slightly more than 50% of the vote, it’s important to remember that nearly half of voters — close to 900,000 of them — wanted someone else.
How does Mayor-elect Mamdani bring those voters together behind him and his vision for a better, more affordable New York? That’s just one of the many challenges before him.
After every tough, passionate election, efforts are made to come together and offer well wishes for the winner, that their success in their newly elected office will be ours as well.
If Zohran Mamdani’s success as mayor is to be our success, then he must do so by assembling a vast and diverse leadership team at City Hall. Such a team can not only help execute his vision but also work in a way that brings out the best in New York, rather than drive people or businesses away.
In his interview with amNewYork and remarks with other outlets, Mamdani pledged to assemble a “team of rivals” at City Hall to get the job done. Those rivals, he pledged, will not be in lockstep with him all the time — and will come from all backgrounds with a focus on doing what’s right for the city.
Mamdani and his “team of rivals” must figure out how to finance much of his agenda (fare-free buses, free childcare, hiring 7,000 more teachers, etc.) without a tax increase on wealthy New Yorkers and corporations. Mamdani and his supporters want to “tax the rich,” but it’s highly unlikely that Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state legislature will sign off on any kind of tax increase as the 2026 midterms loom.
Mamdani and his team must quickly establish the Department of Community Safety as an effective agency that can handle any mental health crisis and dramatically reduce homelessness across the city, while refocusing the NYPD on its primary role: fighting crime and keeping the city safe.
Mamdani and his team must protect New Yorkers of every ethnicity and faith from hate crimes that have grown considerably in our streets and universities.
Mamdani and his team must not only build more affordable housing, but also spur more economic development, attract new jobs, cultivate new industries and improve wages without scaring away new and existing investors.
The mayor-elect can make it happen here if he’s wise enough to fulfill his promise of being a mayor for everyone. Should he do that, his success will truly be ours.
