The “Mamdani era” began in New York, according to the hyperbolic cliché of the media who want to put politics in easy-to-open drawers. As a famous New York adage says, if you believe in the radical and sudden transformations of this city born as a trading post founded by the Dutch in the 17th century, “I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you”.
But it was a historic inauguration. Zohran Kwame Mamdani took the oath of office before independent Senator Bernie Sanders, hand on the Koran. The city’s first Muslim and African-origin mayor did not skimp on symbolism or renounce the left-wing positions he took during the campaign, leading to his rejection by the Democratic Party establishment.
Mamdani arrived at the municipal government headquarters in a yellow taxi, in a gesture to the suffering class, crushed by public transportation, which brings together a large population of immigrants from South Asia. The ceremony’s announcer was the same person responsible for announcements in New York City subway stations. Jewish actress and musician Mandy Patinkin (“Homeland”) sang “Over the Rainbow” with a children’s choir from Staten Island, the New York borough that voted overwhelmingly against Mamdani.
The ceremony in Lower Manhattan was preceded by a street party, and in his 24-minute inaugural address, New York’s youngest mayor of the last century, at 34, made clear that he intended to use the full machinery of government and the alliances of state and Washington to make the city more accessible to workers. He repeated the refrain “who owns New York?”, saying billionaires won’t buy City Hall’s influence. He refuted the conservative cliché that demonizes “big government,” promising that its management will be one of competence and solutions.
No longer the city of the rich against the poor, he says, but the metropolis of 8.5 million inhabitants who do not live in isolation and celebrate “collectivism”. “We’re taking to the streets and it’s going to be loud,” he concluded, calling on New Yorkers to prove that the left can govern, calling for continued engagement beyond the campaign. Mamdani wants to avoid the mistake of Barack Obama, the last Democrat to bring together and engage young Americans on a large scale, who let his movement dissolve into the party machine.
The new mayor has reiterated that he will do everything possible to raise taxes on the city’s wealthiest minority. Since the campaign, Mamdani has acknowledged that his promises would require new revenue, advocating taxing corporations and individuals with annual incomes above $1 million. With Swiss punctuality, Wall Street and the economic press sounded the usual alarm. The rich will flee New York in the face of the rush of war refugees.
It is certainly a conflict, but a conflict of figures. Analysis of tax returns filed after the latest state tax increase—New York’s could reach the highest level in the country—shows that in general, millionaires are the segment of New Yorkers who pack the least and forgo the excellent private schools, Michelin-starred restaurants, evenings at the Metropolitan Opera, and arts and culture banquets that always take place within walking distance of their address. “Those who can’t afford the city’s prices are fleeing New York,” new vice mayor Dean Foleihan told the Financial Times.
Mamdani’s speech was also a love letter to New York, celebrating the multiple nationalities of America’s most diverse city.
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