Zohran Mamdani’s Next Challenge: Conquering Albany

ALBANY, New York — In a town where mayoral dreams go to die, Zohran Mamdani plans to be different.

The rookie New York City mayor will travel to Albany on Wednesday — the Waterloo for predecessors seeking state approval for wish list items like a West Side football stadium or long-term control of the Big Apple’s public school system.

Mamdani, a global celebrity following his upset electoral victory last year, will be grilled by his former colleagues in the state Legislature on his budget requests, including a tax hike on rich New Yorkers, free bus service and no-cost child care.

The public budget hearing he’ll be taking part in is known as “tin cup day” — a name that evokes street-corner begging. For leaders of the nation’s largest city, it is invariably a humbling annual ritual.

“It’s like this with every mayor: They’re forced to learn the lesson that New York City is a creature of the state,” said Diane Savino, a one-time adviser to ex-Mayor Eric Adams and a former state senator. “It drives them crazy.”

Mamdani needs Albany’s blessing for his biggest-ticket proposals as the city faces a $12.6 billion budget gap. And Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose reelection he endorsed last week, has not embraced his calls to raise taxes on wealthy residents and large corporations or the free bus service plan. Mamdani will need allies in Albany to carry his agenda if he wants to rack up first-year policy victories and demonstrate his new administration can effectively deliver on his campaign promises.

History is not on his side.

Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s push to extend his term following the Sept. 11 attacks was denied. Mayor Michael Bloomberg struggled with winning sign-off from legislators for a new football stadium amid opposition from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Mayor Bill de Blasio wanted approval for a tax hike that would fund a universal pre-kindergarten plan, but was stymied by his nemesis Andrew Cuomo and a Republican-led state Senate.

To be successful, Mamdani must adroitly navigate an often opaque and Byzantine statehouse that operates by its own unique rules and traditions. He will need his political ally Hochul and a majority of the Democrats — some of whom are at odds with his critical stance on Israel — in order to solidify any lasting deals this year. Not doing so runs the risk of being seen as ineffectual — a democratic socialist who can campaign in poetry, but is yet to fully master the prose of governing.

On top of it all, Mamdani must win over many state lawmakers from elsewhere in the state who have their own parochial concerns.

“It’s inherently frustrating that we are a creature of Albany — from red light cameras to mayoral control [of schools] to rent policy, the mayor has to go up there hat in hand to get approval on basic public policies that govern New York City,” said Democratic New York City Council Member Lincoln Restler.

City Hall did not comment.

Mamdani served three terms as a backbench member representing Queens in the state Assembly, a top-down chamber that’s dominated by its top lawmaker, Speaker Carl Heastie. The Bronx Democrat has little love for the left-leaning socialists who have challenged many of his longtime and moderate members. But Heastie, who has backed previous calls to hike income taxes on the state’s wealthiest residents, acknowledged last month the city’s budget problems won’t be ignored by state lawmakers. A shared goal of addressing the $12.6 billion gap stands to alleviate the political tensions.

“I want to make sure I can go home,” he said. “How the city’s finances are and if they can close their budget gap is something that’s important to all of us.”

There will be pitfalls. Republican and Democratic critics may attempt a viral moment when questioning him during the hearing. Even potentially friendly faces — like the well-regarded state Senate Finance Chair Liz Krueger — will want substantive answers on the city’s finances.

“He’s going to be sitting in that seat for a very long time because he’ll have people who will have allies and people who are not his allies trying to get him to say all sorts of things,” said Bronx Democratic state Sen. Gustavo Rivera. “One of the great things about Zohran is he’s charming and light on his feet. I’ve no doubt people will try to get him off his game.”

Raising taxes in order to close the city’s budget hole will be a tall order. Hochul has steadfastly opposed tax hikes as she runs for a second full term this year. The governor, a moderate Democrat, has tried to find areas of common ground with the mayor, though, including a handshake deal to expand free child care in the coming years. Hochul has asserted she can ease the natural tensions between New York’s governors and the city’s mayors.

Yet Mamdani’s endorsement last week reiterated his plea for a tax increase — a sign that while he’s backing the governor’s reelection, he won’t drop a core tenant of his successful campaign.

“We have real differences, particularly when it comes to taxation of the wealthiest, at a moment defined by profound income inequality,” he wrote in The Nation. “I continue to believe that the wealthiest among us can afford to pay just a little bit more.”

Mamdani, though, has allies in the state Legislature — perhaps more than any mayor in recent history. De Blasio, in particular, struggled with hostile Republicans who clung to power in the state Senate while Cuomo’s legendary feud further complicated his efforts.

“He is so well positioned compared to most of us who went up there because he has much deeper personal relationships in Albany having been a member for five years,” de Blasio said.

It helps that Mamdani appears to be on an extended honeymoon, even amid questions of the city’s handling of a deep freeze that has settled over New York with at least 18 people who have died outdoors.

A Siena University poll last week found 68 percent of New York City voters have a favorable view of him.

“That’s a great set up to have a productive day up there,” de Blasio said.