It's Mamdani, with two 'm's

By Bob Gaydos

Mamdani's his name. Remember it. Get it right. Two 'm's and then an 'n.' Next mayor of New York City. His first name is Zohran.

This all needs a little explaining.

Given a choice in the June primary of Andrew Cuomo, a former governor who had resigned in disgrace because of numerous accusations of sexual misconduct, and Eric Adams, a mayor whose administration was awash in corruption and who personally had federal bribery and corruption charges against him dropped by the Trump administration in exchange for a promise to cooperate with the ICE roundup of anyone who looks suspiciously Hispanic, New York City Democrats chose a young, Ugandan-born Democratic Socialist, Muslim, naturalized citizen, state legislator as their candidate for mayor.

Zohran Mamdani.

It wasn't close and it wasn't strictly by default. A bright, personable 33-year-old who has mastered social media skills, Mamdani also clearly had a message that resonated with New Yorkers who are finding it increasingly difficult to afford to live in the city they love.

While Cuomo and Adams talked about their experience in government, Mamdani spoke of free bus service and free child care for children between six weeks and five years old and "baby baskets" for new parents that would include educational resources as well as diapers and baby wipes.

He talked of a city-owned grocery store in each borough. The stores would operate on city-owned land or in city buildings, buy food wholesale and be exempt from property taxes, which would keep the cost of the food down.

He said he would freeze rents for nearly one million New Yorkers by strategic appointments to the board which decides on increases for rent-stabilized apartments. He also promised to triple the number of available affordable housing units, with 200,000 new homes to be built over the next decade.

You get the picture. He talked to New Yorkers about things that were really bothering them and offered a plan to pay for it all.

Mamdani said he would raise the corporate tax rate to 11.5 percent, which he says will bring in an additional $5 billion. And, he plans a 2 percent tax on the wealthiest 1 percent of New Yorkers.

Cuomo called Mamdani's plans "unrealistic." So did the wealthy city dwellers and corporations, not to mention old guard Democratic politicians who depend on their campaign contributions. After Mamdani's surprise victory, big money began pouring into Cuomo's now independent campaign for mayor. They also desperately began looking for a candidate who wasn't a - gasp! - socialist.

In fact, establishment Democrats sounded just like typical Republicans and that's a terrible thing for a politician in New York City and much of the country these days. Dismissing progressive ideas as too left, too radical and looking for the comfortable middle of the road, in the process offering nothing to contrast with today's devastating Republican scorched-earth agenda, is a recipe for loss. The status quo is a no go.

To be clear, Mamdani is a Democrat who shares the same Democratic Socialist values as Bernie Sanders, a Brooklyn boy: Tax people fairly according to their wealth for the greater good of all people. Make New York City a great place to live and work and raise a family even if you're not super wealthy. A democracy for everyone. It's not communism; it's not socialism. Today, in the age of ever greater corporate power, it's realism.

Apparently, a lot of registered Democratic voters agree. They don't want used or tainted goods. Since Democrats far outnumber Republicans in the city, the Democratic candidate is always heavily favored to win.

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