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Goodbye, economic development. Hello, economic justice?
As Mayor Zohran Mamdani fills out his administration, he has named New York City’s first-ever deputy mayor for economic justice, a role that he says will be business leaders’ point of contact. He opted not to appoint a deputy mayor for economic development, eliminating a role that has been in place since at least the Koch administration, veteran city officials say.
The move signals a significant shift in City Hall’s approach. In a city considered the beating heart of capitalism, the democratic socialist mayor appears to be prioritizing the needs of workers and consumers.
During his first few days in office, Mamdani also announced the city’s plan to take on bad landlords and hold “rental rip-off hearings.” He signed an executive order to crack down on deceptive pricing practices.
For business leaders, the Mamdani era may mean being sidelined in a way they haven’t experienced before. Although Mayor Bill de Blasio was viewed as anti-business, he cultivated relationships with real estate developers. His successor Eric Adams adopted a pro-business approach that became a key base of support amid mounting corruption scandals.
“The question arises: What about economic growth?” said Kathy Wylde, the head of the business advocacy group Partnership for New York City, who has brokered meetings between Mamdani and executives. “The private sector takes care of economic growth and job creation. They need a supportive government, not an adversarial one.”
She has advised the mayor to keep his “door open” to business leaders as he rolls out his affordability initiatives.
Mitchell Moss, a professor of urban policy and planning who worked in former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s pro-business administration, said he was less concerned about “titles” than having a mayor recognize the private sector’s role in job creation.
“He has to recognize that capitalism is in the bloodstream of New York,” Moss said. “It’s not something to be fighting, it’s something to be harnessing.”
Some business leaders see the restructuring as a demotion of their interests.
John Catsimatidis, the billionaire grocery chain magnate, said he had become accustomed to calling former First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro when he wanted to express a concern to the Adams administration.
Catsimatidis, a Republican who led an anti-Mamdani campaign during the mayoral race, said he has no clue who he’ll contact now. “Right now I don’t think there’s anybody,” he said, adding that he would instead lean on Gov. Kathy Hochul to respond to the concerns of the city’s business community.
Mamdani named Julie Su, who served as acting labor secretary during the Biden administration, to the economic justice role in December.
Mamdani has said Su would be his administration’s point of contact for business leaders. He argued that businesses should welcome stricter enforcement on bad actors.
“We see so many businesses who are following the regulations as they are, and then they look at someone across the street who’s violating them, and then they ask themselves, what am I doing? Why am I the chump at the end of the day?” he said during a press conference on Monday.
He added: “This is not about punishment. It’s about compliance.”
On the small business front, Andrew Rigie, the executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, said he was still awaiting the appointment of a “mom-and-pop czar,” which Mamdani promised on the campaign trail.
Rigie said he has told Mamdani that the role should report directly to the mayor. He praised the new mayor for incorporating the city’s vibrant food scene into his campaign.
“No matter what world you come from, you connect with food,” Rigie said.
Some City Hall veterans viewed the snub to big business as not only unsurprising but necessary. Mamdani won election in part through his criticism of the city’s elite. He wants to raise taxes on the wealthiest individuals and corporations.
Chants of “tax the rich” broke out during his inauguration ceremony last week.
“Given what he’s been saying, I think he’s articulating a vision of the kind of government New York City needs,” said James Parrott, a former chief economist who worked for former Mayor David Dinkins.
Parrott argued that Mamdani’s populist approach made more sense than favoring business interests.
“What should be the objective of an economic system?” he said. “It should be to serve the interest of a broad population.”
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