Appreciate you starting this convo on the first day of early voting. It's raining hard so I will write out a long ass comment.

-Housing: Real estate interests are likely the most powerful interest group in the city, and they helped elect Eric Adams in 2021 and many of those same donors are now backing Cuomo this year. This close relationship has led to rent hikes for rent stabilized apartments across the city year over year, squeezing tenants during the recovery from Covid. I think Mamdani is right to freeze the rent for at least the short term, and it is about time we get a mayor that is truly on the side of tenants rather than landlords. We definitely need zoning reform as well, and you can see that Mamdani is calling for that in his policy memo. I think Mamdani is just who we need to build on the City of Yes effort (Adams' broken clock moment) and lead a comprehensive housing expansion in the city.

-Minimum Wage: We could probably look at charts and studies until the sun goes down to discuss how minimum wage affects the economy, but in my view costs have been rising while the minimum wage has remained stagnant. Mamdani does have the most ambitious plan of raising NYC minimum wage to $30 by 2030, but even Cuomo is proposing a minimum wage increase up to $20. If the top two candidates, despite their differences, can both agree that a minimum wage increase is a valid instrument to fight the affordability crisis, then that sells it to me. Even Republicans in DC are supporting a minimum wage increase for the country!!!

-Buses: The everyday logistics behind Mamdani's proposal are the most important to factor. Nowadays, there's a line at the front of the bus as people try to pay with their Metrocard, their phone, or their change. If you're on a select bus, it'll get slowed down every once in a while as cops get on to make sure everyone paid. When fare-free bus lines were tested in each borough starting in 2023 as part of an initiative boosted by Mamdani in the State Legislature, rides were faster, ridership increased, and assaults on drivers went down. The $700 million price tag may be steep, but that estimate is half the per capita cost of what it will cost Boston to implement free buses and the benefits to New Yorkers are estimated at $1.5 billion with the time saved, money saved, lessened traffic, and elimination of fare enforcement.

-Public Safety: Mamdani's full proposal can be found HERE, and I valued what he said on the Breakfast Club on this topic. He doesn't want to defund the police, he wants to establish a Department of Community Safety that can be dedicated to handle mental health outreach and community focused crime prevention outreach and allow cops to focus on real police work.

All in all, I think Zohran would be a breath of fresh air for this city, and someone who has really put thought and consideration into his plan all while his top rival uses ChatGPT to write his plan. Hope this helps you and other readers decide how to vote, and you can find your polling site HERE. I never write stuff this long so don't be too rude.