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Mamdani, Now NYC Mayor-Elect, Launches Transition for Affordability Agenda

State approval for new taxes will determine whether his most expensive promises advance.

Overview

  • The mayor-elect announced an all-female transition team that includes former deputy mayor Maria Torres-Springer and former FTC chair Lina Khan.
  • Mamdani’s platform centers on a rent freeze for roughly two million rent‑stabilized tenants, universal free childcare, fare‑free buses and city‑owned grocery stores.
  • Estimated costs run into the multibillion-dollar range, including about $6 billion annually for childcare and roughly $700–800 million for fare‑free buses, with critics warning total exposure could exceed $10 billion.
  • To pay for his agenda, he proposes raising the corporate tax rate to 11.5% and adding a 2% surcharge on incomes above $1 million, measures that require the state legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul, who has signaled resistance to new income taxes but openness to collaborating on childcare.
  • Federal dynamics surfaced as Mamdani said the White House had not contacted him and as he signaled interest in retaining NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch while pursuing a new Department of Community Safety focused on mental health response.