Vanessa Tyler: I'm Vanessa Tyler on the Black Information Network, your home for Black news first. There is no city as big as New York, and likely no job tougher than running it. Joining me is the mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Mayor Mamdani, welcome to the Black Information Network.
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: It is such a pleasure to be on. Thank you for having me.
Tyler: There is nothing like nice weather in New York. Rising temperatures bring fear of rising violence. Worst of all, innocent people - even babies - getting hit with stray bullets. What's the summer plan for idle, young people?
Mayor Mamdani: This summer, our Office of Neighborhood Safety, in partnership with DYCD and community-based organizations across the city, are implementing a coordinated summer safety plan focused on preventing youth violence and expanding opportunities for young people. And through our city's Crisis Management System, we have credible messengers and outreach teams who will be increasing engagements in the neighborhoods most impacted by violence, and they'll be enhancing their mediation efforts. They'll be extending their evening programming. They'll be hosting youth listening events, as well as rapid response activations during any high-risk period or large gathering. And it all speaks to our vision of the summer, which is one that we want to be fun. We want it to be safe. We want it to be one where people talk about how hot it is in terms of the weather and not in terms of the tension that people feel in their lives.
Vanessa Tyler: What about summer jobs? I know I'm a native New Yorker and always looked forward to that.
Mayor Mamdani: You know, it is one of the core pieces of our vision for young people, is the Summer Youth Employment Program. I know that there are so many young people who have been looking forward to these jobs through the year, and we're so excited to continue that program. And frankly, I think, you know, to your point, oftentimes in our country we tell young people what not to do, and we don't tell them what they should do. And part of our vision is not only jobs and opportunities, but also activities. And so, we're incredibly excited to have just shared a website for young people across the city that brings together all of the many different opportunities they have for fun this summer. And I can tell you, as someone who grew up in the city, that I used to go to a city website to look for those same opportunities many, many years ago, and it's truly a full-circle moment to be able to provide that for the next generation.
Tyler: It's an interactive site. You put in your ZIP code, and you find things to do.
Mayor Mamdani: Absolutely. And you can put in your age as well and they'll have recommendations to it.
Tyler: For many African Americans and other New Yorkers, a priority is finding an affordable place to live. We've been outpriced for years. Talk about "Block by Block."
Mayor Mamdani: Block by Block is our vision for housing that we released earlier this week, and it's the most ambitious vision for affordable housing that the city has ever seen. We will be honoring our commitment that we made on the campaign to build 200,000 new affordable homes that will be permanently rent-stabilized. And we are adding to that commitment with another one to preserve 200,000 existing affordable homes. Those 400,000 homes together are geared toward the New Yorkers who today cannot find a place to call their own in these five boroughs of our city. And that is the first plank of this platform. The next plank is to invest in tenants and ensure that they are living in what can be known as "habitable conditions." There are far too many tenants who are dealing with the violations of housing code and don't have the response that they deserve from City government or from their landlord. And then the third and final plank is an investment into public housing, the likes of which we haven't seen in decades, to the tune of $5.6 billion that will revitalize so many of the public housing units that we have across our city.
Tyler: Now, you would need federal funds, which means turning to Trump. You have talked with him about housing. Any commitments from him yet?
[Recording of President Donald Trump plays.]
Recording of President Trump: We talked about some things we have very strongly in common. Like housing, getting housing built.
Tyler: Soon after Mayor Mamdani was elected, he had that highly anticipated Oval Office meeting with President Trump. Rather surprisingly, Trump with all his tough talk about a "Communist running the city" was very complimentary.
Recording of President Trump: But I just want to congratulate, I think you're going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor. The better he does, the happier I am. I will say there's no difference in party, there's no difference in anything, and we're going to be helping him to make everybody's dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York, and congratulations, Mr. Mayor.
[End of recording.]
Mayor Mamdani: You know, that conversation continues with the president on the question of housing at large. What I will say is that ever since the Reagan administration's devastating cuts to public housing, we have seen Republican administrations and Democrat administrations alike leave public housing residents as a footnote to their visions. And for a long time, that has been used as a justification for why the city cannot act. We have heard politicians come and go, saying that public housing in New York City has an $80 billion capital backlog, we need to wait for the federal administration to take the lead. We are not willing to wait any longer. We are not willing to justify inaction any longer. And so, we have put forward this plan of $5.6 billion to show that the city is willing to take the lead and that we invite all of our partners to join us at the table, but we are not going to wait any longer for them to join us.
Tyler: New York lawmakers are set to include a pied-à-terre tax on the second homes of the ultra-rich. Some of the rich threaten to leave. What happens if they do?
Mayor Mamdani: You know, we have seen this come up time and again whenever there is a conversation about raising taxes on the wealthiest. And I will tell you that before I was the mayor, I was a state Assembly member. And we were fighting in 2021 to increase taxes on the wealthiest, and we were told then what we are told now. And what we found is that when we increase personal income taxes, when we increase corporate taxes, that in fact we now have more millionaires than we did then. And the data shows it time and time again, which is that the capital flight that is discussed does not materialize. Instead, what does materialize is increased revenue for the city that we can then spend on making life more affordable for everyone who calls the city home.
Tyler: You're expecting to gain about $500 million in revenue from that?
Mayor Mamdani: Yes, that's correct. And this is from a tax on non-resident New Yorkers' second homes that are worth more than $5 million. So, I'll tell you, I haven't met too many people on the street for whom this would apply to them. It is something that would, however, generate critical revenue for the city.
Tyler: Well, one person it does apply to is Ken Griffin. Is he really pulling his project?
Mayor Mamdani: You know, I think there's a lot of this that has been spoken about in the media. What I'll tell you is that my message to Mr. Griffin, as well as to any other business leader in this city, is that we want them to succeed in this city. And we want them to continue to create good-paying jobs in this city. And we also do believe that we have a broken tax system that needs to be fixed. And so, we are looking forward, frankly, to the implementation of this tax and the continued generation of a strong economy in this city that will extend to even more people than it has before.
Tyler: You appointed a former NYPD whistleblower as the next NYC sheriff. What is it about Edwin Raymond that makes him the best choice for this job? And many people remember, of course, the former Black lieutenant calling out racism in the NYPD.
Mayor Mamdani: You know, Edwin has shown time and time again what it looks like to be able to serve this city. And frankly, what we want in our sheriff is someone that we can look to, to not only follow the law, but also to set an example of creating a trust between many New Yorkers and City government that hasn't often been the case. And we're incredibly excited for him to start in this position and to show that in his actions underneath City government.
Tyler: You're right, he's an advocate for police reform. What kind of changes do you see him making?
Mayor Mamdani: You know, I think his focus will be as the sheriff, which has to do with a specific set of duties, some of which are removed from the larger conversation around police reform. However, reform is something that is incredibly important as we look to deliver a city where New Yorkers need not choose between safety and justice. And that continues to be a North Star for our administration.
Tyler: Daycare, you're a working mom's dream. What will this mean, especially for the single mothers raising children? Next fall, there is 2K.
Mayor Mamdani: In the most expensive city in the United States of America, childcare is one of the major drivers pushing people out of this city. And we see it considered as a good deal in this city when you pay $20,000 a year for childcare for a single child. And so, for city government to now be able to provide truly universal free childcare for three-year-olds and for the first time in New York City history for two-year-olds, that will be transformative for families who are looking to build a life in this city.
Tyler: As we wrap up, making headlines right now is your refusal to go to the Israeli Day Parade, something you said you wouldn't do. How much heat are you willing to take for this?
Mayor Mamdani: You know, I've been honest with New Yorkers about the fact that I would not attend this parade. It's something that I shared with them over the course of the campaign. And I've made my criticisms of the Israeli government quite clear. And I also believe that as the mayor, my responsibility is to each and every New Yorker who calls this city home and to their safety and their security, regardless of whether I'm present at the same event. And so, while I will not be at the parade, I've also made it clear to my police department as well as my administration that this safety and security is absolutely paramount, and they are taking all preparations to that end.
Tyler: New Yorkers never hold back, as you know. Do you think they've gotten used to a socialist, Muslim mayor who is from Africa running the city?
Mayor Mamdani: You know, one of the best parts of this job is that I get to meet New Yorkers each and every day, and their opinions are varied, and I'll always leave it to them to make the call.
Tyler: Well, you've been leading the city for five months. Is it too early to ask if you love this job enough that you're willing to stay in it four more years?
Mayor Mamdani: I can tell you that this is the job of a lifetime, and I cannot imagine anything else I'd rather like.
Tyler: Mayor Zohran Mamdani, thank you for joining me.
Mayor Mamdani: Thank you so much, Vanessa. A real pleasure.
Tyler: I'm Vanessa Tyler of the Black Information Network, your home for Black news first.
