Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Appears On NY1's "Out Of Office With The Mayor" With Errol Louis
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
Yes, they are. I can show you one of them.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source So, it's the same chef that the prior administration had. She and the team have been incredible.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source Yeah, I guess technically, yes, but I had an RFK-style vision when you said that. We do eat chicken and beef.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWe have meetings here from time to time, but I spend far more time at City Hall.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source So, at this time, what we know is that there hasn't been any additional movement in the building structure in over 24 hours, and that's been critical because it has meant that we can actually send in DOB inspectors to do the emergency response work, and so they have started shoring up a number of the floors. This is a 37-story building, and so they did a number of floors yesterday. That work continues to solidify the structure. Once the emergency response is done, we're going to be conducting a full investigation as to how this happened, and in the interim, what we've seen is that the NYPD's frozen zone of the blocks around the area has narrowed as well as the buildings that actually have an evacuation order. We're looking to ensure that safety is paramount, and we're very thankful, frankly, that over the course of this, there have been no injuries and that every worker is accounted for.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source That's what we're going to be looking at as soon as the emergency response is done. What I will also say is a deep note of appreciation to New Yorkers themselves. A lot of this began with a 911 call early that morning, and what we have found time and again is even though it is a moment that none of us would wish to see, New Yorkers in the area have followed the instructions provided by on-site first responders. They've done so both being calm and following with urgency.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source I think that streamlining and safety are not in tension. What we want to make sure is that a regulation that doesn't have any reason for existing is not one that we continue, but regulations that create safety, those are ones that are critically important. And I think that office-to-residential conversions are and will continue to be an important part of our response to the housing crisis. I also believe that we have to look back at the plans that were submitted, the adherence to that plan, and make sure that every single step was followed as it should have been, because what we have seen over these last few days, is not something that has been regular or should ever become regular in our city.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source Well, what we've done thus far is we've inspected every single one of the cooling towers in the affected area, and I really do want to note the Department of Health, our health commissioner — they've made this a top priority, because oftentimes what we've seen with the city in the past is that the city catches up to it when it's already affected so many New Yorkers. This became an alert for us at the point at which the cluster was at a size of two New Yorkers being affected by it. We're now at a moment where about 36 New Yorkers have Legionnaires’. No one has passed away from this disease, and we continue to monitor it across the entire neighborhood.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source We have to coordinate between [the] Health Department, Buildings Department and in a case like this, this was over the holiday weekend, and the Health Department brought in over 100 members of staff over that time period to ensure that they were canvassing the neighborhood and they were following up, because as you know, there are some buildings where everybody knows the landlord [and] everybody knows the owner. There are other buildings where it takes a little bit of time to find them and to make sure that they've been able to inspect every single one of those cooling towers. Now, I know that sometimes with an outbreak of Legionnaires’ residents in a neighborhood might ask themselves, “Is it safe to bathe or drink water to continue in their homes as they are?” And it is, it is safe to do all of those things, to use air conditioning as well, and we are following up on this as a top priority.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source You know, negotiations are always gonna be a difficult thing, but we always were confident that we would land this. And I appreciate the partnership of the speaker and the Council in that process of the adopted budget. And what we saw is the creation of a new voucher program that will help New Yorkers on the precipice of homelessness, and we'll also do so in a way that will be sustainable for the city for years to come, because we wanna make sure that when we tell a New Yorker that there is a service for them — a program for them — they can come to rely on that program for years and not have to worry, is this one that's going to be scaled back or narrowed because of the response to it?
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source Well, I share the hope of taking on the housing crisis in our city and ensuring that homelessness becomes a thing of the past. One of the things that we have to do as we embark on that is to also ensure that we are being fiscally responsible in the way that we are managing our budget. The reason that I say that is we saw that the original FHEPS program, started less than $50 million in an annual cost and went up to close to $2 billion. And at that same time, shelter costs were not diminishing. And so, we will continue to take every step that we can to combat homelessness and to support New Yorkers who are on the precipice of eviction. We also want to do so in a way that we know that program is going to continue as it was first launched.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source It is always going to be a focus for us of how we ensure that we're building not just for short-term stability, but medium- and long-term stability. Now, I'm thankful of the fact that while there is a deficit projected in the out years, as we often see, this is still going to be much lower than what we inherited when we came into office. And that means that the work of savings and efficiencies continues. And it also means that it's not a fiscal crisis in the manner that we first found this place.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source Part of our charge is to look for savings and efficiencies wherever they can find them, and oftentimes to find them also in policies. Because what we have seen [are] the hoops that we ask, whether it's nonprofits or other partners across the city, to jump through in order to be a partner to our city. It is immense, and oftentimes it puts them off doing that kind of work. Now, when it comes to the savings, we announce chief savings officers for every single agency and department at the preliminary budget. That work continues because we look at our budget. We always want to be able to tell a working New Yorker that we're as careful with our money as they are with theirs because at the end of the day, it's their money as well.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source I believe it will, and I'm incredibly excited to see the elections of Darializa, Claire Valdez [and] Brad Lander. These are candidates who will now be congresspeople that will bring a vision of our city as a place that's affordable for working people to Washington. Because you and I both know, as we sit here in Gracie Mansion, the first person to live in this home was Fiorello La Guardia. I believe he's the greatest mayor in our history. And a lot of his achievements were tied to his relationship with the federal government, with FDR. And when I look at these three soon-to-be Congresspeople, I see those that, though they may be at the beginning of their congressional careers, will be partners in achieving real results for working people.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source The first thing it's going to take is us taking back the House. And I'm incredibly excited to see that happen this November.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source I think having read that, the conclusion that I came to was that it was time for his campaign to come to an end. And I'm appreciative of the fact that I've just read that that's exactly what has happened.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source You know, I think my focus right now is how do we ensure that we bring this chapter to a close and then start to write a new chapter. And I think I trust the voters of Maine to point us in that right direction.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source The endorsements I've made have all been right here in New York City. I'm excited about the five state legislative candidates [and] three congressional candidates. That's where my focus is.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source We appreciate any investment in our city, and we want our city to continue to have a strong economy. And we also want the strength of the economy to be measured by the way that it meets the needs of working people as well. And I'll tell you, I'm just coming right now from the beginning of the construction process for the new American Express headquarters in Lower Manhattan. And what we're seeing is [a] multi-billion-dollar investment in our city and a recommitment to the very neighborhoods that not that long ago we were told would never rise again. And it is truly an incredible day for our city in that announcement and in all the announcements we've heard about companies committing to the city's future.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source My answer is to just take a look around.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source I think it's great. I think it's — I think I'll leave it to New Yorkers and pundits to make of it what they will. My focus is on delivering for each and every New Yorker, and I'm proud to be the mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population in the country. And I think too often, we frame that responsibility as solely in the context of uprooting antisemitism from across the five boroughs, which is critical and necessary. I want to go beyond just the question of keeping Jewish New Yorkers safe but also ensuring that Jewish New Yorkers look at this city and understand themselves to be home. They understand themselves to be cherished and celebrated by the city. And I take a real, real pleasure in being able to be the mayor of the same city.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source I have to be honest with you: I'm not as familiar with that proposal. What I will say is that I believe that any future should be one that has equal rights for all people. And one of the things is we've just celebrated our nation's 250th anniversary. That makes me so proud to be an American is that that equality is enshrined in our Constitution. And it helps me in understanding how I think the world should also look like with that same equality.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source As you've said, we are looking right now at the lowest numbers of shootings and murders in New York City's recorded history, and that is an incredible achievement. And I think a lot of that is as a result of the work that we're seeing from our NYPD. And as you've also mentioned, one of the critical partners in providing public safety will continue to be the Office of Community Safety as well. And in their work, it is work that also looks to do that of prevention as well as that of response. I was recently in Coney Island alongside a few members of the family where eight children were shot over the course of one barbecue on [the] July Fourth weekend. And I was there alongside my deputy mayor for Community Safety, our executive director of the Office of Community Safety [and] the head of the Office of Neighborhood Safety, and the work that they were doing in meeting with that family, in providing them what they needed, because too often, these shootings, these murders, they're thought of as statistics, things that can be summarized in a quarterly report. It also is an impact on a family for the rest of their lives. And the OCS, they're doing incredible work in advance and in response.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source So right now, the Office of Community Safety and the offices that live within it are upwards of nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in the funding that has been put forward for them. And it's the beginning. It's the start of an investment into what is going to be a long-term commitment to community safety. Because I think, as you and I both know, this is something that New Yorkers need to be able to feel and breathe in their day-to-day lives, and this work is critical.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source She likes the house. And I have to give her a lot of credit because she is someone who introduced me to the beauty of everyday things. And, you know, we are on the first floor, which is, in many ways, as it has been under prior mayoral administrations. The next floor, where we live, is truly a combination of the best items that Facebook Marketplace has to offer, and things that she has thrifted and a few things that we've bought as well. I give her all credit for that.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source Well, you know, we know the World Cup is something that so many New Yorkers look forward to, and we also want it to be something that every New Yorker can feel the spirit of, the magic of. And so, we've been having a number of New Yorkers come out and play right here on the Gracie Lawn, so that they too can be part of this. No, no.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source No, I am simply here to be humiliated by my constituents.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source And so, you know, one of the nights we had PSAL players come and enjoy this. And I think that it's about celebrating what this moment means. Tonight, we're gonna have a lot of New Yorkers who come from countries for whom this is their first World Cup. You know, whether we're speaking about Uzbekistan or Curaçao, there's a meaning in being seen on that world stage.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source Well, I'm incredibly excited to be one small part of this. And I think, as you alluded to, we recently announced that Etihad Park, which is gonna be home to New York City FC, is now also gonna be home to the women's team, Gotham FC. And they are the two-time and reigning National Women's Soccer League champions. And, you know, you used to — to see them, you'd have to go to New Jersey. And now you're gonna have young girls who live in Jackson Heights, who, you know, dribble in Traverse Park on the weekends, just get on the 7 train and be able to watch this team. And that's incredible.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source Well, you know, I think we all know that the love of the game comes from the players who play it and that which we see across the world. And what I've always looked to be, is honest about the fact that when this World Cup was first announced, we were hopeful that there would be a way for New Yorkers to be able to afford to go to these games. At the time, there wasn't any plan to that. And so, we raised our voices, and I'm glad to say that we're the only host city in the country that secured affordable tickets at $50 a piece. When FIFA announced that they weren't going to allow plastic water bottles to be brought into the stadium at a time of immense heat, I spoke up and I said that that's not how it should be. And I was glad to see that they reversed their position. So, I think that there will be differences of opinion, but we know that what makes the game so special. It's the people who play it, and it's the matches we watch.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source They have, and I think it's a beautiful thing because this is the world’s city. And so, we say, “Welcome home,” to everyone who's visiting for the first time. And one of my favorite things has just been to look at Times Square. On a daily basis, you'll see a different set of fans from a different team. You know, one day you're looking, [and] it's Norwegians rowing. The next day you're looking, it's the Brazilians just, you know, celebrating their team. And I think that that's what this tournament is supposed to be about and also for New Yorkers to rediscover their own city. And that's been a beautiful thing. You know, you go on Steinway, you go today, you'll feel like you're in [the] Maghreb, and that's the beauty of the city.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source You know, I have the classic trajectory of a man who began up top, lost his speed and his form, and slowly went to the back. Now, I play left back. I do like one lung-busting run every 30 minutes. I feel it in my ribcage, and I'm just, you know, exhausted.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source Seven miles? Brother, I don't know nothing about seven miles.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Appears On NY1's "Out Of Office With The Mayor" With Errol Louis.