New York
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New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday introduced an all-female team of co-chairs for his transition team, including former Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan.
The team of co-chairs contains Khan, former first deputy mayor Maria Torres-Springer, United Way of New York City head Grace Bonilla, Melanie Hartzog, who’s a former deputy mayor for well being and human companies, and political guide Elana Leopold.
Khan is a outstanding ally of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders who was an aggressive antitrust regulator when she led the FTC throughout Democrat Joe Biden’s presidency. Her appointment is a sign that Mamdani, who has referred to as for tax hikes on the rich to pay for insurance policies supposed to cut back the price of dwelling, will proceed to push in opposition to what he refers to because the “oligarchy” when he turns into mayor on January 1.
Mamdani additionally previewed the announcement of different “leaders who will implement our agenda,” saying that “some of these people will have familiar names, others will not.”
“We will cast a wide net,” Mamdani mentioned. “We will speak to the organizers on the front lines of the fight to improve our city government, veterans with proven track records, policy experts from around the country and the world, and working people who know better than anyone what their neighborhoods need.”
Mamdani referred to as on his supporters to start out donating to his trigger once more with the intention to fund “a transition that can meet the moment of preparing for January 1.”
“There were a few months ago where I told supporters across the city to stop donating, and today I am asking them to start once again,” Mamdani mentioned.
He defined that his transition team would require employees, analysis and infrastructure — all of which want funding.
“And I’m excited for the fact that it will be funded by the very people who brought us to this point, the working people who have been left behind by the politics of the city,” Mamdani added.
While he mentioned the White House hasn’t reached out after his win, he mentioned he was open to talking with President Donald Trump, who has derided him as a “communist” and threatened to drag federal funding from his hometown.
Mamdani mentioned he’s “interested in having a conversation with President Trump on the ways in which we can work together to serve New Yorkers, whether that be delivering on his campaign promises around cost of living or the many issues that New Yorkers have been sharing with me about the drastic impacts that the legislation that President Trump has ushered through Washington will mean for them and their lives.”
“I look forward to having those conversations and to making clear that if there is ever anything to be spoken about that could benefit the people of the city, I am ready and willing to speak to anyone about it,” the mayor-elect added.