A promise under pressure

Welcome to the Mamdani Meter’s weekly-ish scorecard, where we assess what Mamdani did vs. what he said he would.

Three promises moved during week 8: Gyms will be slightly less predatory, a few dozen more kids have pre-k seats, and housing had its best week yet.

Last week, City Hall did something genuinely exciting on housing and also took a step back on libraries.

The city broke ground on a 100% affordable development in Harlem built on a former NYPD parking lot. A third of the units are reserved for formerly homeless folks, including 30 specifically for young adults aging out of foster care.

This project began in 2017 and survived two mayoral administrations before Mamdani ever touched it. In other words, by the time the shovels hit the ground, the project was old enough to have started middle school. 

That's not unusual. It's just how long affordable housing takes in New York City. A seven-month public review process, multiple agencies, and countless opportunities for delay. Hence all of the skepticism for Mamdani’s promise to build 200,000 affordable units by 2036. 

Well, just two days later, we got a glimpse of the better future Mamdani promised.

On Feb 20, the city began the review process for 84 affordable units in the Bronx. What’s noteworthy is they are using ELURP,¹ a new 3-month review process for affordable housing.

New Yorkers voted for this new process in November to replace the old process which took seven months(!!)

The Mamdani administration utilized the expedited process on the first day it became available. Great sign.

Last Tuesday the Mayor released his preliminary budget for fiscal year 2027. He’s allocating 0.39% of the city's total budget towards libraries. Mamdani had specifically promised to fund libraries at 0.5%, so this puts the promise at risk.

Why does a tenth of a percent matter? Ask anyone who tried to visit their branch on a Sunday. When Adams cut library budgets in late 2023, Sunday service disappeared almost immediately. Libraries operate on margins so thin that small funding changes translate directly into hiring freezes, programs cancelled, and doors that don't open.

The operative word is “preliminary.” This was just the first draft of the budget, which won’t be finalized until June. There’s plenty of time for changes; in 2024, public pressure successfully reversed a similar round of Adams cuts. 

Library advocates are already rallying the troops, so the question then becomes: if libraries get the extra $30 million they are asking for, what gets cut instead?

The best way to support this newsletter is simple: forward it to a fellow voter. You probably already thought of a friend who will want to click the button below:

— Niki