A Short Note: Give Zohran a Chance for Goodness Sake!

By Arthur Schwartz

When you read this Zohran Mamdani will have been mayor for two months or about 2% of his first four years. Yet the naysayers (who fill the local Nextdoor blogs with daily critiques) have already declared him a failure. We had one of the worst snowstorms/cold snaps in my life and he was criticized for not getting the snow to melt soon enough so that the garbage caught under the ice could be removed. He was damned for holding remote school and then when he closed the schools after the February 22 storm he was also damned (not by the kids). He cleared the city much faster in the 32 degree snowstorm, but was criticized for closing the streets to cars. He told the governor that if he didn’t get an increase on City Income Tax for earners making over $1 million he would have to raise property taxes. It was an inflammatory comment, but it was meant to nudge a governor who has $1.5 billion to spend on a Buffalo football stadium, but not the billion needed by the NYC Housing Authority, which houses 600,000 New Yorkers.

My neighbors, Zohran showed incredible talent running for office. He inspired people. He gave people hope. He knows he has to deliver and he has surrounded himself with smart folks. Some say “he’s an antisemite“ but he has appointed Jews as Corporation Counsel (Steve Banks), Police Commissioner (Jessica Tisch), Health Commissioner (Michael Katz) and Deputy Mayor for Operations (Julia Kerson). Let’s see how he does after a year. Don’t let his youth and national origin/religion sway you. John Kennedy was 43 when he was elected president. Lincoln was elected to Congress at 34.

My prediction – he will be one of the greatest mayors ever.