Democrats working for NYC Mayor (clockwise from prime left): Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Queens Meeting Member Zohran Mamdani, former Metropolis Comptroller Scott Stringer, present Metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander and Metropolis Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
Reuters and Lloyd Mitchell
5 Democrats within the 2025 NYC mayor’s race pitched their concepts to assist the homeless, construct inexpensive housing and enhance the beleaguered New York Metropolis Housing Authority earlier than a crowd of two,250 watching from two totally different venues on Sunday evening.
Metro IAF teamed with Manhattan Collectively, South Bronx Church buildings, Queens Energy and East Brooklyn Congregations to arrange the digital and in-person discussion board for Democrats in search of to be New York Metropolis’s subsequent mayor. The 5 candidates — former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Metropolis Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander, former Metropolis Comptroller Scott Stringer and Queens Meeting Member Zohran Mamdani — addressed a crowd of two,000 folks on the St. Paul Neighborhood Baptist Church in Brooklyn, whereas one other 250 watched by way of video at Temple Sharaay Tefila, in Manhattan.
Forward of the June 1 discussion board, organizers reminded the viewers of ranked-choice voting within the June 24 main, and urged them to get to know all the candidates to allow them to rank as much as 5 of their prime decisions on the poll.
Every candidate supported Metro IAF’s agenda to construct 500,000 properties over a decade, “fix” the New York Metropolis Housing Authority, and tackle psychological sickness as a serious difficulty.
“We can build 50,000 homes right now. We can fix NYCHA now,” mentioned Rev. David Ok. Brawley, pastor at St. Paul Neighborhood Baptist Church and co-chair of Metro AIF and Metro AIF NY. “We can address the mental health crisis in New York City now.”
Cuomo focuses on Rikers
Cuomo, who took the stage and spoke first based mostly on random choice, mentioned inside 30 days he would “get every homeless person out of every train and subway station and get them the help they need.”
“We did it during COVID,” the previous governor mentioned. “We brought every homeless person out of the subway system to get them the help they need.”
Cuomo estimated that 20% of individuals on Rikers Island, which he mentioned prices $500,000 per inmate per 12 months, are “critically mentally ailing.
“In my first 30 days, I’m going to get the seriously mentally ill out of Rikers Island, get them the mental health assistance they need,” he added.
Cuomo mentioned the New York Metropolis Housing Authority, a public-benefit company managed by the New York Metropolis Mayor, has “been a problem for decades” and pledged extra funds to enhance it and construct inexpensive housing.
Speaker Adams eyes NYCHA repairs
Speaker Adams, who instructed the group “your agenda is my agenda,” referred to as an inexpensive housing scarcity a severe difficulty.
“We have to have housing of all types to meet everyone’s needs,” she mentioned, noting that as speaker she had helped ship inexpensive housing. “I have fought for these housing priorities and secured them.”
“We will invest at least $500 million in NYCHA repairs, while improving on our tracking of outstanding NYCHA repairs,” Adams mentioned. “We want our NYCHA residents to live in dignity.”
Lander on housing disaster
Lander mentioned on “day one” he would declare a state of emergency to confront a “housing crisis,” and supported constructing 500,00 properties, together with 1000’s on city-owned and NYCHA tons.
The present comptroller mentioned he would use 4 of 12 golf programs owned by New York Metropolis to construct 50,000 inexpensive housing models that New Yorkers would lease or personal. He mentioned he has a plan to repair New York Metropolis Housing Preservation and Growth referred to as “Building Blocks of Change.”
“We don’t have to be a city where several thousand of our mentally ill neighbors sleep on the street,” Lander mentioned. “We can end that together.”
Stringer on constructing inexpensive housing
Former Comptroller Scott Stringer mentioned he helps rebuilding HPD, growing subsidies for housing and utilizing metropolis land to construct extra housing.
“We’re going to turn those lots into true, affordable housing,” he mentioned of free and city-owned land.
He instructed the viewers that as comptroller, he helped finance inexpensive housing — and insisted that the subsequent mayor take swift motion to deal with the disaster.
Mamdani on affordability
Mamdani, who represents Astoria and Lengthy Island Metropolis, additionally referred to as for extra inexpensive housing as a precedence.
“What good is being in the greatest city in the world, if you can’t afford your rent, your groceries, your childcare?” Mamdani mentioned. “Believing in affordability is not enough. We must deliver affordability.”
Rev. Rashad Raymond Moore, pastor on the First Baptist Church in Crown Heights, mentioned voters “need leadership, land, money, and relentless accountability.”
“We get a lot of promises, but we see very little progress,” Rev. Moore mentioned. “There’s only one person who has the power to unlock this land, and that is the mayor of the city of New York. We’re not coming here to beg. We’re coming to build.”
