Mamdani Nods to Menin, Touts Shared Agenda on Affordability
In a move that has been seen as a sign of unity, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani acknowledged moderate Councilmember Julie Menin as the next City Council speaker. Despite not endorsing Menin in the general election, Mamdani expressed his excitement over fulfilling the shared agenda of affordability with the new Council speaker.
This comes after Menin announced that she had secured enough support among the next City Council to be its next speaker. Some political observers have noted that Menin's potential role as a check on Mamdani's democratic socialist goals could shape the city's legislative direction.
When asked about working with Menin and other Council members, Mamdani sidestepped questions regarding whether he should have supported other speaker candidates who backed his campaign. The focus was instead on the shared agenda of affordability in New York City, which Mamdani emphasized as a pressing issue given the city's reputation for being one of the most expensive places to live.
The role of Council speaker is significant, with broad influence over the budget and legislation process. Given past tensions between Mayor Eric Adams and current Speaker Adrienne Adams, the dynamic could be interesting in terms of how Mamdani and Menin navigate these issues.
In a phone call on Wednesday, both Mamdani and Menin discussed their shared goals for implementing universal childcare, building more affordable housing, and reducing costs for New Yorkers. While no details were released about specific plans or initiatives, the statement from Menin expressed enthusiasm for working with Mamdani to enact these policies.
The conversation also touched upon Mamdani's plan to create a new Department of Community Safety, which would deploy social workers to mental health calls instead of police officers. There was no indication in Menin's statement that she supports this initiative.
In a move that has been seen as a sign of unity, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani acknowledged moderate Councilmember Julie Menin as the next City Council speaker. Despite not endorsing Menin in the general election, Mamdani expressed his excitement over fulfilling the shared agenda of affordability with the new Council speaker.
This comes after Menin announced that she had secured enough support among the next City Council to be its next speaker. Some political observers have noted that Menin's potential role as a check on Mamdani's democratic socialist goals could shape the city's legislative direction.
When asked about working with Menin and other Council members, Mamdani sidestepped questions regarding whether he should have supported other speaker candidates who backed his campaign. The focus was instead on the shared agenda of affordability in New York City, which Mamdani emphasized as a pressing issue given the city's reputation for being one of the most expensive places to live.
The role of Council speaker is significant, with broad influence over the budget and legislation process. Given past tensions between Mayor Eric Adams and current Speaker Adrienne Adams, the dynamic could be interesting in terms of how Mamdani and Menin navigate these issues.
In a phone call on Wednesday, both Mamdani and Menin discussed their shared goals for implementing universal childcare, building more affordable housing, and reducing costs for New Yorkers. While no details were released about specific plans or initiatives, the statement from Menin expressed enthusiasm for working with Mamdani to enact these policies.
The conversation also touched upon Mamdani's plan to create a new Department of Community Safety, which would deploy social workers to mental health calls instead of police officers. There was no indication in Menin's statement that she supports this initiative.
i mean it sounds cool and all but honestly who has the time or money to make their own city from scratch? i'd rather just play the game lol anyway back to NYC affordability is really important and i think Mamdani and Menin are on the right track with universal childcare and affordable housing it's about time we made living in the city more livable 
. Acknowledgin' Julie Menin as the next speaker is a smart move, especially since they share a common goal on affordability. It's all about gettin' stuff done for New Yorkers, you know? 
I'm curious to see how this plays out, though. Will they be able to put aside their differences and work together? It's gonna be an interesting dynamic, for sure 
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Mamdani's got some big plans cookin', and if Menin can bring some sanity to the table, that's a win-win for everyone. Fingers crossed they can make this work 
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Now, let's see how this all plays out in practice...
i mean affordability is one thing but how about them city council members who got trampled in the election process? 
anyway gotta give credit where credit is due, menin seems like she's on board with mamdani's goals and that universal childcare is a solid move 
. It's about time someone took control of the rising costs in NYC, and if they can make it work together, it could be a game-changer for this city. I mean, who doesn't need affordable childcare or housing? It's not just about politics, it's about people's lives 
. And yeah, it'll be interesting to see how Mamdani navigates the budget and legislation process with Menin at the helm 
. Maybe we'll finally get some real change around here 
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! Did you know that 75% of NYC residents believe housing costs are unaffordable? 
We're talkin' $45,000+ median rent for a 1-bedroom apt. That's like, crazy expensive 
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. The median household income in NYC is only $71k, so we gotta do better than just tinkering around the edges 
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Either way, I'm hyped for some much-needed change in our city! 
I gotta say, I'm a bit surprised by this whole thing. Like, I know we need affordable housing and childcare, but can't they just agree on who should be speaker? It seems like Mamdani is basically trying to wing it and hope Menin doesn't mess with his plans 
. And what's up with the new Department of Community Safety initiative? Deploying social workers over police officers sounds cool, but how's that gonna play out in practice? I mean, I know we need mental health resources, but we can't just dump all this on one department...it's gotta be a team effort 
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! And, um, hope they can make some real progress on creating a Department of Community Safety... mental health matters are so important 
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It'll be interesting to see how they balance out each other's ideas - I think a department of community safety could be a game-changer for mental health support, but I'm not sure how Menin will feel about that specific plan yet. 
Can't wait to see some concrete progress on universal childcare and affordable housing! 
I'm low-key impressed by Zohran Mamdani's decision to nod to Julie Menin 
Mamdani & Menin seem like they're on the same page, affordability is a BIG deal for NYC 
like, yay? I'm not really sure what's more surprising, the fact that menin won the speaker role or that mamdani is actually excited about working with her 
. either way, it'll be interesting to see how they navigate their differences and make decisions for the city 
. I think it's dope that they're on the same page about making NYC more livable for everyone 
Like, why didn't he support other candidates who were backing his campaign? Maybe Menin has a way of getting things done that resonates with him? 
On the flip side, her potential role as a check on Mamdani's goals could be interesting to watch... will she try to rein him in or ride shotgun? 
Either way, it's gonna be fun to see how they navigate the city's legislative direction!