In order for Zohran Mamdani to be successful as New York City's mayor, he is going to need a lot of cooperation.
He will need federal money, he will need state money, and he will need his city council to pass everything he wants, and it is that last element that could be a challenge.
There are rumors that a moderate is going to take over as speaker in the city council, which would be a nightmare for Mamdani.
Mamdani proved us all right earlier this week when he announced that he was going to bring Tamika Mallory into his administration.
If you are not familiar with the name, she is a Black Lives Matter activist, a supporter of Louis Farrakhan, and a proponent of notorious radical Linda Sarsour.
The incoming mayor announced, “We just convened a meeting with more than 400 New York leaders -- the best of our city that money can’t buy."
He continued, “These are the people that New Yorkers look to for wisdom and for guidance … and I have entrusted them with a mighty responsibility: to lead these committees and provide the policy and hiring recommendations that our transition team will turn to as we prepare to begin governing on January 1.”
The new mayor will almost certainly stock his administration with radicals, but that will not help him get all the money he needs to implement his sweeping leftist plans.
Mamdani is already facing challenges on that front, as Gov. Kathy Hochul has stated that while she is all-in on free childcare for New Yorkers, she will not be able to fund the mayor's plan for free public transportation.
She stated, “I cannot set forth a plan right now that takes money out of a system that relies on the fares of the buses and the subways."
Hochul went on, “But can we find a path to make it more affordable for people who need help? Of course, we can.”
As I stated above, if Mamdani is going to make this work, he needs everyone to be on the same page, and if the little birds are whispering correctly, that may not be the case when it comes to this city council leader.
Rumors are flying that Julie Menin, a moderate Democrat, is going to be the next speaker of the New York City Council, and this would be a disaster for Mamdani.
Mamdani’s supporters online are already panicking, with one person posting, “Menin’s plan has always been to block progress and set the city on fire as much as possible (thankfully the mayor also has checks on her), blame Mamdani, then run for mayor in 2029 promising to fix the mess she created.” Another wrote, “Julie Menin plans to sabotage the affordability agenda.”
Since voters in the city failed us, let’s hope the whispers are correct, and every Mamdani agenda issue just sits on the speaker’s podium, collecting dust.
