Welcome to Mamdani Bulletin’s weekly summary of the administration. This is an independent project, unaffiliated with city government. Visit Mamdani Bulletin’s Policy Tracker for a list of major policy decisions.
What happened in NYC last week?
Note: Mayor Mamdani spent the week on vacation upstate, with First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan running City Hall from Aug. 16 through Aug. 23.
The District Attorney who convicted Trump joined forces with Mamdani — Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who won the first criminal conviction of a US president, has partnered with the city to prosecute exploitative employers and predatory landlords for wage theft, tenant harassment, and financial scams. The city used to refer cases to the DA and wait — now, the two share evidence and can pursue criminal and civil cases at once.
The Mamdani administration sued the Council over payments for teachers’ aides — The Council passed one-time $10,000 payments for 39,000 paraprofessionals. The administration sued to block it, arguing that letting politicians bypass collective bargaining violates state labor law. Some argue this is Mamdani reneging on a pledge (see Smear of the Week below for more).
Bus, Club: the B44 becomes a night out — The city launched Bus, Club, a digital series making the case that the bus gets you to the bar almost as fast as a rideshare, for a fraction of the price. The first edition maps major nightlife venues within a block of the B44 bus route, between Williamsburg and Flatbush.
Other news: The city says it needs to build 700,000 new homes over the next decade, with pressure on low-growth areas like the Upper East Side to do their part • $8.4 million in grants went to nearly 90 merchant groups for street cleaning, lighting and public art along commercial corridors • 23 city agencies and mayoral offices fanned out across the boroughs to mark NYC Nonprofit Week
Smear of the Week
The smear: Mamdani “supported [$10K for teachers’ aides] on the campaign trail, but came out against them once he became mayor” - (New York Times, among others).
The reality: On the campaign trail, Mamdani endorsed a permanent annual $10K raise for teachers’ aides. What he’s now opposing is a one-time payment — which the city argues bypasses collective bargaining, violates state labor law, and does nothing to “solve the underlying, long-term pay inequities facing paraprofessionals”. It also doesn’t touch the staffing shortage, as a single payment helps existing workers without encouraging others to join the workforce.
Independent media
Everybody wants to be Zohran Mamdani — Matt Diemer (The Angry Democrat) on why politicians copying Mamdani's video style keep producing cringe, including LA Mayor Karen Bass, who filmed herself not fixing a pothole.
“Authenticity, clear messaging, digital communication, and actual organizing can reinforce one another when the right candidate brings them together. […] Copying the editing style without understanding the substance is not campaigning.”
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The mayor sounds more like a union leader than Mulgrew