Zohran Mamdani drew support in Tuesday’s primary for saying he’d make New York more affordable — yet he’s mainly offering more of the policies that have made the city so expensive.
Gotham is unaffordable for many, but that’s largely thanks to decades of Democratic policies that Mamdani wants to dramatically expand.
He promises “to lower the cost of living for working-class New Yorkers,” offering free buses, CUNY tuition, child care, a freeze on rents and more.
That sounds great. Yet in reality, his free stuff would actually make the city worse, particularly for the people most desperate for relief.
Take his rent freeze. Owners of rent-regulated buildings can’t keep up with their costs, thanks to lefty Mayor Bill de Blasio’s years of rent freezes and restrictions by Albany progressives.
So they’re holding apartments vacant rather than leasing them, because the rent they’d collect won’t cover the cost of bringing them up to code.
Many landlords are poised to go under — or to walk away from their buildings.
Democrats have also opposed other efforts to boost the housing supply, like Mayor Eric Adams’ City of Yes rezoning plan.
Yet Mamdani’s rent freeze would only deepen the housing shortage. How will that help anyone seeking affordable housing?
Or take his free buses. The only way the MTA could even hope to run them would be to cut down on bus service and repairs.
Plus, buses would risk turning into mobile homeless shelters, as they have in other cities that tried this.
Riders would suffer big-time.
Are fares too high? Well, if Democrats would enforce farebeating, the MTA might be able to hold them down.
Yet Mamdani wants to defund the police. If he wins, expect farebeating to soar — and paying riders would have to pony up more to offset the lost fare revenue.
Dems are also known for their generous labor deals and regulatory burdens on businesses, which further drive up prices for consumers.
Count on Mamdani to accelerate that trend.
Does anyone truly think the cost of his proposed $30-an-hour wage minimum wage won’t be passed along to consumers?
By his (likely lowball) estimates, his city-spending plans would cost a whopping $10 billion, money the city doesn’t have and won’t likely get.
Were Albany to hit businesses with his tax hikes, prices would rise further still.
Sure, Mamdani’s promises of “lower costs” will resonate in pricey New York if voters don’t think through the consequences.
But if New Yorkers really want a more affordable city, they’ll need leaders who oppose the Democratic policies that have only fueled Gotham’s higher costs. The opposite of Mamdani, that is.
