You know it’s a freaky Friday in New York politics when the conservative Post editorial board sides with the Democratic Socialist mayor—but that’s exactly what happened last week.
The rare alignment came in opposition to the City Council’s one-time $10,000 payouts to teachers’ aides, which they authorized unanimously last month. The council argued that school paraprofessionals are essential and underpaid, and that withholding this payout risks costlier gaps in legally required educational services. The Mamdani administration’s lawsuit points out that the mayor has exclusive authority under the Taylor Law to negotiate contracts—authority the council is usurping.
For what it’s worth, it’s not just Murdoch backing Mamdani. The Daily News editorial board also lauded the lawsuit; they’ve argued from the jump that the payouts might be merited, but they’re still illegal.
Zooming out from the $10,000 checks are multi-billion-dollar questions about fiscal stewardship of the city, and the striking trend of Mayor Mamdani being on the moderate side of fights against the (generally more moderate) council speaker, Julie Menin.
The other big example: When the $125 billion city budget was being negotiated earlier this summer, Mamdani reversed course on a campaign commitment to expand the CityFHEPS housing voucher program. The vouchers are vital in keeping eviction rates down and New Yorkers in their homes, but—given housing scarcity and skyrocketing rents—the program cost ballooned from $25 million to $1.7 billion between 2019 and 2026. The mayor rebutted the council’s request for $300 million more this year; they settled on $175 million.
Both CityFHEPS and higher wages for school paraprofessionals are worthy, and both are arguably good investments given the high costs of homelessness and inadequate education. Overall, though, it’s encouraging to us that Mayor Mamdani is thinking seriously about fiscal stewardship: it’s him, not the City Council, that voters will hold accountable for mismanagement.
Some politicos have conjectured that Menin is less ideologically committed to these major spending efforts than she is to drawing contrasts with the mayor, potentially in preparation to challenge him in 2029.
Often, though, Menin is simply flexing the council’s muscle as a coequal branch of city government. The dust-up last week over the administration’s refusal to testify at a hearing about the pied-à-terre tax largely ignored that Menin supports the tax, too. And if she’s accused of taking potshots at the mayor, Menin can reasonably claim that he started it, calling her out in a video criticizing the council’s budget.
But we think the late-August temperature should be taken down on the whole Mamdani-vs.-Menin narrative, which serves the political press more than the people.
In fact, the mayor and the speaker have been aligned on many of the biggest challenges facing the city. Both care about universal childcare, oppose tax giveaways to millionaires, and want to strengthen consumer protections. And they’ve been on the same side when it counts. (For example, Menin just spoke up about the “inappropriateness” of trying to exclude Mamdani from the 25th anniversary of 9/11).
We see a true pattern of alignment on abundance priorities, and we see upcoming opportunities for both Mamdani and Menin to win—all while delivering real wins for the people of New York.
Tackling the Housing Crisis
Perhaps the buzziest housing headline last week was the mayor’s concession that the Elizabeth Street Garden would not become Haven Green—123 homes for low-income seniors and 16,000 square feet of public green space—after over a decade of conflict about whether the city could secure 100% affordable housing on its own land. After Mayor Adams and his first deputy mayor Randy Mastro designated the garden as parkland on his way out the door of Gracie Mansion, his successor decided the odds were too long to overcome. Mastro is the real perennial Mamdani-opposer: in addition to blocking Haven Green, he’s litigated against the rent freeze and pied-à-terre tax (not to mention congestion pricing).
Still, the bigger housing news last week was about the city itself—highlighting the importance of past and future partnership between mayor and council.
Confronting the scale of the need. As average Manhattan rents approach $7,000 per month, the administration put out a report pointing out the need to add 700,000 new homes over the coming decade to meet current and coming demand. This report was the direct result of a 2023 City Council mandate to conduct it—and now the City Council will be key allies in delivering on its findings.
Legalizing new homes. The council has passed critical neighborhood rezonings (including Soho/Noho, which will soon get 200 new homes, 50 affordable, on the site of a parking lot) and the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity. Speaker Menin is continuing the work, pushing building code changes that would unlock 35,000 new homes on small lots—on top of the 7,000 homes already approved under her gavel. We’re confident that the mayor and speaker will partner on more updates to legalize needed homes citywide.
Augmenting housing types. The Mamdani administration is supporting a bill introduced by CM Virginia Maloney to allow shared homes, reducing pressure on the rental market and opening up family-sized homes to families. Multi-bedroom apartments are now crowded into by the 40% of NYC adults who live with roommates, many of whom would prefer living alone—if they could afford to. We’re hopeful that Menin and the full council will unite with Maloney and Mamdani to get the bill over the finish line.
Improving the Public Realm
Menin and Mamdani have been aligned on abundance priorities beyond housing. Both are committed to making the streets safer and more vibrant, helping small businesses thrive, and protecting New Yorkers’ health and the city’s climate.
Better streets. Last week, the council passed new rules to bring back year-round outdoor dining—a major undertaking against political headwinds, supported by the mayor. Meanwhile, the administration has been implementing trash containerization; now Council Majority Leader Shaun Abreu (a key Menin ally) is pushing new legislation to allow more residents to opt into it given the success of the rollout. We can’t wait for universal containerization, citywide.
Planting seeds. This month, Brooklyn Paper covered the mayoral administration’s first Urban Forest Plan, which lays out how we’ll get to 30% tree canopy coverage of the city. That expansion will have equity, climate, and health benefits. Menin and the council, in parallel, announced funding for The Generative Canopy Project to help neighborhoods make planting plans to address their own heat and air quality challenges. As the city confronts record temperatures and rainfall, partnership on resiliency will be a matter of life and death.
Lowering costs for businesses. The mayor put out 50 ideas to reduce costs for small businesses (including streamlining outdoor dining applications). The list builds on his now-famous “halalflation” campaign video. Menin’s new Office of Insurance Affordability is tackling the role that skyrocketing insurance costs are playing in—well, “bagelflation,” too. We’re excited to eat cheaper halal and bagels, outside, under the shade of new trees.
What’s Next: Mandating Mangin
Meeting the city’s housing, climate, health, and childcare goals requires staffing the best and the brightest, and we’ve been thrilled by Mayor Mamdani’s consistent selection of pragmatic, principled civil servants with records of success.
Next month, the City Council will have the opportunity to confirm John Mangin to lead the Board of Standards and Appeals, a key player in facilitating new affordable housing development.
Mangin has been lauded by the mayor, deputy mayor for housing, Comptroller Mark Levine, organizations from the Citizens Budget Commission to the Regional Plan Association, and many others—and rightfully so. He heads up the housing division at the Department of City Planning and has been instrumental in advancing the housing conversation.
A few council members have objected to his nomination, citing past writing about the role incumbent stakeholders have played in blocking new homes. But it’s likely that what’s really sticking in the members’ craws isn’t a 12-year-old law review article that accurately identifies the causes of our housing crisis, but rather Mangin’s role in the passage of last year’s charter amendments. Those ballot questions, decisively endorsed by voters, added non-council paths to approving new housing—much to the council’s chagrin.
Speaker Menin has heard out her conference and acknowledged their concerns; she’s also stated unequivocally that hers is “a pro-housing council.” She’ll be meeting with Mangin herself this week.
We think it’s in everyone’s interest for Mangin to be confirmed.
It will be a win for the mayor to get his choice for the role.
Mangin’s appointment will also be a big win for Menin.
It will demonstrate that her council is partnering with the admin on addressing New Yorkers’ most crucial need, that the speaker can bring her conference along where it counts, and that the council actually means it when they say they’re pro-housing.
Further, Mangin’s confirmation will put to bed the idea that Menin reflexively opposes the mayor, augmenting her credibility when they are indeed on different sides of an issue.
Most importantly, it will be a win for New Yorkers, who deserve Mangin’s leadership at the BSA—and an urgent, all-hands-on-deck approach to creating the affordable housing we need.
What can you do? We don’t yet know when Mangin’s hearing will be held, but when it is we hope you’ll show up to express your support. In the meantime, call your council member and join Mayor Mamdani, Comptroller Levine, and us in encouraging them to support Mangin’s confirmation.
Hopefully, we’ll be toasting to Mangin’s appointment at our next happy hour, coming up on September 15. RSVP now if you haven’t yet!