Zohran Mamdani Policies: How NYC’s Mayor Plans To Lead The City

On Nov. 4, Zohran Mamdani, 34, defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa to become the 111th mayor of New York City, CBS News reported. The American Ugandan politician made history as New York City’s first Muslim mayor and the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century, winning with over 1,000,000 votes, according to poll results obtained by NBC News. 

Zohran Mamdani said his policies would tackle the city’s affordability crisis during his victory speech. 

Standing in front of a packed crowd of supporters inside the Brooklyn Paramount Theater on Tuesday night, Zohran Mamdani’s victory speech centered on ambitious progressive policies and a call to return power to New York’s working people. He pledged to tackle the city’s cost-of-living crisis by freezing rents for over two million rent-stabilized tenants, making buses fast and free, and delivering universal child care, plans he outlined during his mayoral debate in October.

“To every New Yorker — whether you voted for me, for one of my opponents, or felt too disappointed by politics to vote at all — thank you for the opportunity to prove myself worthy of your trust. I will wake each morning with a singular purpose: to make this city better for you than it was the day before,” the soon-to-be mayor vowed.

“On January 1st, I will be sworn in as the mayor of New York City. And that is because of you. So before I say anything else, I must say this: Thank you. Thank you to the next generation of New Yorkers who refuse to accept that the promise of a better future was a relic of the past.”

He also promised to create a Department of Community Safety and to fight discrimination in the city.

Further along in his speech, Mamdani promised to hire more teachers, cut government waste, improve public housing, and create a Department of Community Safety to address mental health and homelessness while ensuring “safety and justice go hand in hand.” 

The Democrat made it known that he would continuously fight antisemitism, Islamophobia, and discrimination against immigrants, trans people, and working-class New Yorkers of color, issues that have risen in the city over the last several years.

“In this moment of political darkness, New York will be the light. Here, we believe in standing up for those we love, whether you are an immigrant, a member of the trans community, one of the many Black women that Donald Trump has fired from a federal job, a single mom still waiting for the cost of groceries to go down, or anyone else with their back against the wall. Your struggle is ours, too,” he said to a cheering crowd.

“We will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism. Where more than one million Muslims know that they belong — not just in the five boroughs of this city, but in the halls of power.”

Zohran Mamdani bravely condemned President Donald Trump during his speech.

Regarding Donald Trump, Mamdani cast him as a symbol of corruption and exploitation, condemning “billionaires like Trump” for evading taxes, exploiting tenants, and dividing working people. He declared that New York would lead the way in defeating Trump and the authoritarianism he represents, saying:

“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him.”

Addressing Trump directly, he added:

“Turn the volume up,” asserting that New Yorkers would stand united against his influence.

Zohran Mamdani outlined his policies for the future of New York City during his intense mayoral debate in October.

Political experts and fans alike believed, Democratic Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani emerged victorious from his first NYC mayoral debate on Oct. 16. Facing off against former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican politician Curtis Sliwa, Zohran Mamdani appeared confident and composed as he tackled a wide range of issues, from policing New York City and addressing the mental health crisis to unveiling an ambitious plan to tax the wealthy to make the city more affordable for millions.

On Policing And Mental Health

When it came to tackling the issue of policing in NYC and the city’s mental health crisis, Mamdani stressed that he does not support defunding the NYPD, but instead advocates for reforming the system by implementing a multi-layered response model for mental health crises. He referenced the approach taken in Eugene, Oregon, where mental health professionals are dispatched alongside police during certain emergency calls. Under his plan, operators would be specially trained to assess crises and involve law enforcement only when necessary.

He also made it clear that he would oppose any use of the National Guard in NYC for public safety purposes, contrasting his stance with what’s being done in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles by the Trump administration.

“We do not need the National Guard here in New York City. We do not need them for the purpose of safety, because if it was safety that President Trump was so concerned about, he would send them to the eight out of 10 states that have the highest levels of crime in this country, but he won’t, because they’re all run by Republicans,” Mamdani said.

“What New Yorkers need is a mayor who can stand up to Donald Trump and actually deliver on that safety. When Donald Trump sent ICE agents on people in Los Angeles, Andrew Cuomo said that New Yorkers need not overreact. That is the furthest answer that New Yorkers are looking for. They are looking for someone who will lead.”

On How He Plans To Fund His Vision For The City

Mamdani’s platform includes approximately $10 billion in proposed new spending, which he says will be funded through increased taxes on the wealthy and large corporations. Despite Governor Kathy Hochul’s stance against raising income taxes on millionaires, Mamdani remained firm on his plan during the NYC mayoral debate.

“A lot of people have called even my campaign a non-starter when we first began, and now I stand before you proud to be the Democratic nominee who got the most votes in city primary history. And I believe we will see the same thing with our push to ensure that we are taxing the wealthiest and the most profitable corporations the fair amount that they should pay,” he said with conviction.

The Democrat added, “Now there are those who will say that, because it will be hard, you should give up. We saw what giving up looked like when Andrew Cuomo was the governor. He gave up on fighting for working-class New Yorkers and instead caved in to his billionaire donors.”

On Making New York City Affordable Again

Zohran Mamdani outlined several policies to ease the cost of living in the city, with proposals like free and faster bus service, universal childcare, and freezing rents, all while increasing revenue through tax reforms and budget efficiency.

“Look, I’ve said very clearly, making buses fast and free costs about $700 million a year. Making universal child care a reality costs about $5 or $6 billion a year. If you raise the state’s top corporate tax rate to match that of New Jersey, you’ll be raising $5 billion in of itself,” he explained.

“We have also put forward a plan to save money here in New York City with a billion dollars in savings through procurement reform, through following the independent Budget Office’s assessment about hiring more fiscal auditors, and an action to collect the fines and fees from bad landlords,” he continued.

“Freezing the rent doesn’t require any fiscal infusion, so that will be something we’ll be pursuing immediately. And universal childcare—after housing—is the second cost. Childcare is the second cost pushing New Yorkers out of this city, twenty and a half thousand dollars a year is the estimate we’ve seen. That will be a priority.”

Social media users took to Instagram to applaud Mamdani on his performance after the NYC mayoral debate. 

“This brother delivered one of, if not THE best political debate performance I’ve ever seen,” wrote one user in a post shared by the politician Thursday night. “The best,” another added.

Only time will tell if Zohran Mamdani will be able to make his policies a reality, but one thing is for sure: people are excited.


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