As New York City stands on the cusp of a profound political shift, the city’s power brokers, business leaders, and everyday residents are bracing themselves for the impact of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s incoming administration. The November 2025 mayoral transition has already sparked fierce debate, with outgoing Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul at the center of a storm swirling around affordable housing, policing, taxation, and the city’s economic future.
Mayor-elect Mamdani’s rise was swift and, to some, shocking. According to ABC7NY, tensions escalated on November 16 when Mamdani accused Adams of undermining his campaign promise to transform the Elizabeth Street Garden into affordable housing. Adams, who was preparing for a diplomatic visit to Israel, designated the cherished community space as city parkland, a move Mamdani claims derailed his housing agenda. The dispute highlights the friction between outgoing and incoming leaders, with the future of New York’s approach to both green space and affordable housing hanging in the balance.
Mamdani’s transition team appointments have only added to the intrigue. The selection of Elena Leopold, a former senior advisor to Bill de Blasio and a vocal advocate for defunding the police, as executive director of the transition team stirred immediate controversy. During the campaign, Mamdani distanced himself from the defund-the-police movement, yet his own words from June 28, 2020, resurfaced: “We don’t need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety. What we need is to #DefundTheNYPD,” as reported by the New York Post. The message was clear—at least at one point, Mamdani’s stance on policing was aggressive and unambiguous.
City officials have responded with a mix of skepticism and tentative cooperation. Council Minority Leader Joann Ariola voiced doubts about Mamdani’s intentions, telling the New York Post, “We’ve seen him make statements that go from progressive to moderate to almost conservative, depending on who he’s talking to. ... Well, we see who his friends are, and they’re the same people who want to dismantle public safety in this city.” Meanwhile, Councilman Frank Morano of Staten Island signaled a willingness to work with the new administration, though he harbored concerns about the direction of future policing policies.
But the drama isn’t confined to City Hall. The mayoral transition has rippled upstate, where Governor Kathy Hochul’s shifting stance on tax policy has drawn sharp criticism from both sides of the aisle. In June 2025, Hochul flatly rejected Mamdani’s plan to raise income taxes on wealthy New Yorkers and hike the corporate tax rate from 7.25% to 11.5%, declaring on television, “I’m not raising taxes at a time where affordability is the big issue.” She added, “I don’t want to lose any more people to Palm Beach. We’ve lost enough. Let’s be smart about this.”
Yet, just months later, Politico and the New York Post reported that Hochul was now “open to raising taxes on NY corporations to fund socialist Zohran Mamdani’s freebies.” The about-face, described as a “flip-flop” by political observers, appears to be a calculated response to pressure from Mamdani’s electoral victory and the left flank of her party. Anonymous aides told Politico that “back of the napkin style discussions” about corporate tax hikes were underway, signaling that Hochul is feeling the heat from progressive legislators and Mamdani’s energized base.
The governor’s political maneuvering has not gone unnoticed by potential Republican challengers. Upstate Representative Elise Stefanik, who announced her candidacy for governor, wasted no time labeling Hochul “America’s worst governor.” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, also weighing a run, echoed concerns about New York’s “out-of-control” $254 billion state budget—$100 billion higher than a decade ago, and more than double Florida’s, despite the Sunshine State’s larger population.
Hochul’s critics point to a pattern of policy reversals. Before the 2024 election, she paused Manhattan’s congestion pricing plan, only to implement a $9-a-day tax on cars entering Midtown once the ballots were counted. A ban on gas stove hookups in new homes was similarly delayed, drawing ire from environmentalists who had championed the measure as a step toward reducing emissions. “It is a cynical political ‘pause’ so she can screw New Yorkers with higher prices after the election,” Stefanik charged, according to the New York Post.
In the business community, anxiety over Mamdani’s agenda is palpable. By November 15, as reported by The Post, business leaders described the prospect of a Mamdani mayoralty as “disastrous.” John Borthwick, CEO of Betaworks, met Mamdani at a Partnership For New York City event and found him “a very nice charming human who I think who has absolutely no idea what it would take to run a city government.” Borthwick warned, “Given the challenges the city faces with the state budget and federal government, they will eat him for breakfast.”
The source of their concern? Mamdani’s unabashedly socialist platform, which includes proposals for free buses, city-run grocery stores, and a $30 minimum wage by 2030. Billionaire grocer John Catsimatidis threatened to shutter his Manhattan-based Gristedes chain if Mamdani wins. Tom Grech, president of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, warned that “a $30 minimum wage is unsustainable. The average merchant can’t afford a minimum wage increase now. That would kill the bottom line. They’d have to cut employees.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, never one to miss a political opportunity, took to social media to predict a boon for Palm Beach real estate if Mamdani’s tax-and-spend platform drives more wealthy New Yorkers to his state. “Just when you thought Palm Beach real estate couldn’t go any higher…” he quipped on X.
Yet, while some business leaders have been outspoken, others have chosen silence, wary of antagonizing the city’s increasingly progressive electorate. Kathryn Wylde, CEO of the Partnership For New York City, explained that “they are not plugged into social media, so few were forewarned about the possible far-left direction of the mayoral race.” She added, “Many have some history with Cuomo—‘the devil they know’—who was looking for their dollars but not for public endorsement in a Democratic primary, where kind words from the business community are not helpful.”
Meanwhile, Mamdani is already flexing his political muscle beyond City Hall. According to The New York Times, he is encouraging City Comptroller Brad Lander to challenge moderate Representative Daniel Goldman in the Democratic primary for New York’s 10th Congressional District. Mamdani’s preference for veteran official Dean Fuleihan as first deputy mayor over Lander didn’t end their alliance; instead, he’s reportedly signaled private support for a Lander congressional bid, aiming to consolidate the left’s influence in the city and manage tensions within the Democratic Socialist and progressive coalitions.
Goldman, for his part, has declined to comment on Mamdani’s involvement, focusing instead on his legislative record and constituent advocacy. But the maneuvering underscores the ripple effects of Mamdani’s victory—not just on city policy, but on the broader political landscape of New York.
As the city prepares for Mamdani’s inauguration, the stakes couldn’t be higher. With affordable housing, policing, taxes, and business confidence all in flux, New Yorkers are watching closely to see whether the new mayor can deliver on his promises—or whether the city’s deep divides will only grow wider in the months ahead.
