New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani marked his first 100 days in office Sunday alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders and touted what he called sweeping achievements driven by government intervention, Mamdani said.
Mamdani said his administration secured $1.2 billion for universal child care, advanced plans for five publicly owned grocery stores and intensified enforcement against landlords. He said the administration has issued more than 195,000 violations and secured more than $34 million in settlements, judgments and repairs for tenants.
Referencing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Mamdani defended his approach to public programs. “I have thought often of Margaret Thatcher’s quote, ‘the problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money,'” he said. “If anything, my friends, it seems that you eventually need a socialist to clean up the mess,” Mamdani added.
Sanders praised Mamdani’s agenda at the event, saying it was an inspiration for strengthening communities. “This is the first time I was ever introduced by someone who talked proudly about democratic socialism,” Sanders said. “And it feels great,” he added.
Mamdani said the universal child care initiative was fulfilled by his eighth day in office through a $1.2 billion partnership with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and that the city would not check immigration status for enrollees. He also proposed opening five publicly owned, affordable grocery stores, one in each borough, by the end of his first term, with the first location expected to open next year, and said city workers have filled more than 102,000 potholes and are on track to repave more than 1,000 lane miles by the end of the fiscal year, officials said. The administration also said it has removed more than 1,000 guns and established the city’s first Office of Community Safety as part of efforts to address gun violence and mental health. Critics said some proposals, including the grocery plan and tax-funded child care, depart from free-market principles and could disrupt private providers.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
