The birth of my political consciousness occurred a long time ago, but the first time I was able to vote was this past November. As you can imagine, I was incredibly excited to finally place my ballot into that box — my first small but essential contribution as an adult citizen. I was not alone. This past November, over 2 million New Yorkers turned out to vote, the highest number in the past 50 years. Amidst a concerning national dip in voter turnout in past decades, this election garnered national attention and saw an outstanding level of civic participation. New York City has massive political influence and many eyes were turned towards what the decision would be.
It is an understatement to say that Zohran Mamdani stood out from the other two candidates, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Silwa, running for the coveted position. A young, Muslim Democratic Socialist immigrant won out among two older, more established white men. I, along with 1,036,050 other New Yorkers, were ready to see a real change.
Thus far, Mamdani has already made strides in many of his promises on affordability, proving to the public that he has the capability to fulfill his ambitious campaign promises. Another, and perhaps even more crucial, thing he has done while in office is make adept compromises, which many of his right wing skeptics said was impossible. He certainly has a difficult path to pave as a Democratic Socialist amidst the rise of altruistic right wing politics, but he has shown himself to be a capable leader and has my full confidence that he can bring change many of us have been urging for.
Starting strong with his first day in office, Mamdani immediately began addressing his constituency’s concerns around the unlivable New York City rent inflation. In fact, one of his first acts as mayor was visiting a Brooklyn apartment building and assuring its tenants that he would ramp up investigations of the supposedly negligent landlord. This action was indicative of his mission statement as a politician: to get involved in the daily lives of New Yorkers and to fight the battles of lower income people being marginalized by cuts to welfare funding and rising costs .
Also on the list of actions improving the lives of New Yorkers on an everyday scale is introducing a set of hearings called “rental ripoff.” These hearings will allow renters to dispute the conditions of their building. Additionally, one of his first actions was the signing of his second executive order mandating that shelters devise plans within 45 days to bring the living standards up to par. These normal regulations were halted due to the large increase in asylum seekers and conditions that had been rapidly worsening. He is clearly committed to giving a voice to those who have been overlooked.
Beyond his promising strides in affordability, his strong stance against the Trump administration and especially Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is incredibly important in our current political climate. Mamdani has a strong anti-ICE policy, and he is in support of its complete abolition. He believes that this is the right action, “because what we see is an entity that has no interest in fulfilling its stated reason to exist.” He takes a strong stance on contentious issues at a time when many politicians are cowing to threats. Immigration enforcement is being used as an excuse to weaponize federal forces on innocent citizens, and having a mayor that is committed to protecting the city’s immigrant population as an immigrant himself is important. We can not let the misuse of executive power go by the wayside. We must support leaders like Mamdani who are committed to taking action on a local level and who are willing to invest in the lives of ordinary people. As he said himself, “We have an opportunity where New Yorkers are allowing themselves to believe in the possibility of city government once again. That is not a belief that will sustain itself in the absence of action.”
If Mamdani is to be the future of local government, he certainly is a shining example of compromise. His civility and open-mindedness could be what the country needs to pull us back from extremism and polarization. I know that some would read this statement with disbelief. Many of his skeptics assumed that because of his identity as a Democratic Socialist, he would be too radical to effectively cooperate with the bureaucracy and run the city. However, his retainment of Jessica Tisch, the current police commissioner, was an impressive act of self-restraint and compromise. He has faced backlash from members of the Democratic Socialist party, due to Tisch’s pro-Israel and conservative stance on police. Despite this, he represents an important image that we have been missing in modern politics:two drastically different people being able to respect each other’s views and personhood and forge a path together.
Anne Eslick-Persyn, FCRH ’29, is a sociology major from San Francisco, CA.
