Pols at Mamdani’s rally offer their two cents
Minutes before the race was called for Mamdani, The Real Deal asked Comptroller Brad Lander if Mamdani is likely to be able to freeze rents if Mayor Eric Adams appoints new members to the Rent Guidelines Board before he leaves office.
“This is unprecedented territory,” Lander said. “We haven’t had a mayor try to stack the board at its very end, and I’m heartened by rumors that the people he’s talking to know it’s wrong and don’t want to take the seats.”
When asked about the potential of raising income taxes and corporate income taxes to help pay for Mamdani’s housing plan, Sen. Michael Gianaris was optimistic, pointing to the fact that both the state Assembly and Senate have proposed raising taxes for New York’s highest earners. He’s hopeful the governor will see Mamdani’s win as a call to action.
Lander, who ran for mayor in the Democratic primary, noted that some housing developers have realized that Mamdani was likely going to be the next mayor.
“I just pray there’ll be a willingness to work together,” he said. “We need more publicly subsidized affordable housing. We need more housing delivered by the private market.”
By 10:15, the Brooklyn Paramount theater was packed with supporters, reporters and elected officials. The crowd cheered every time a large screen displayed over the stage at the front of the room displayed the unofficial election results.
Mamdani isn’t expected to take the stage until 11 p.m., an event organizer indicated earlier in the night.