Brian Lehrer: Good morning, everyone, and we begin today with our latest episode of Ask the Mayor, my questions and yours for Mayor Zohran Mamdani. First priority for New York City residents: Call or text a question for the mayor at 212-433-WNYC. Call or text 212-433-9692. And, Mr. Mayor, hi. We always appreciate that you do these. Welcome back to WNYC.
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Pleasure to be back on, Brian. How are you doing?
Lehrer: I’m doing alright, thank you. I want to start in a different kind of way today. Yesterday we had the New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones on the show on her kind of heartbreaking essay called, "In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?" Ultimately, as I think you know, it was about the persistent segregation of various types in New York City Public Schools and how it affects especially the education of kids from low-income families of color. That, of course, well predates you, but I invited Nikole to put a question to you for today since you're in charge now, and here's what she asked. This runs 49 seconds.
Nikole Hannah-Jones (Question): Mayor Mamdani went back on his promise to end mayoral control of the schools, so he's the mayor. I want to know when we're going to see a plan to address and dismantle school segregation in the city. We could eliminate middle school screens. We could actually zone children to schools. There are many levers we can pull. The reason I don't name solutions is because we already know what the solutions are. We just don't have the political will to enact them.
So, I would like the mayor to answer: When are we going to actually see a real and substantial plan to address the racial and social and economic isolation of students? Nothing can help the working class change its material condition more than actually having access to an equal and quality education. So, I want to know when we're gonna see a plan from him.
Lehrer: Nikole Hannah-Jones here yesterday. So, Mr. Mayor, what would you say to her and to anyone concerned with that set of issues, including her specific question at the end? When are we going to see a plan?
Mayor Mamdani: First, I would say, Brian, that I read her piece, and it was a devastating piece, and it is an articulation in many ways of the systemic nature of the way that the public school system in our city failed her child. And the sad truth is that she is not alone, that there are families across our city with similar stories, and that I very much agree with what is implicit in her question, which is that change is an urgent necessity.
And it's urgent because we know that Black and brown students are not being adequately served, and when we speak about our school system, we are speaking about the most segregated school system in the United States of America. And these issues are the building blocks that we're using to develop a plan to deliver a rigorous and high-quality education to every single child across our New York City Public School system.
It should not be that a child or a family can only come to expect that if they are in the right school. Every school should be the right school. And so, when we are looking to pursue this, it is with an understanding that our kids learn better when they're learning alongside those who are different from them. And that doesn't just mean racial demographics. It also means an expansion of programs for students with disabilities, multilingual learner programs and so much more.
And we have a chancellor who has not only already begun this work with district working groups and engaging directly with school communities on how to build this kind of a school system, but also someone who I picked for this role precisely because his vision for our school system was one that understood the importance of this work and the importance of delivering it alongside an education that is rigorous and in a classroom that is safe.
Lehrer: Well, two of the policy levers she said you could pull — said in the clip — are eliminating middle school screens and actually zoning children to schools, her words. Are you for those things as stated that way? And if so, do you plan to implement them?
Mayor Mamdani: This is work that I believe has to be developed in concert with school districts and communities across the city. That is one of the major emphases of how we're looking to transform our system. And the chancellor has already begun to tackle this kind of a thing. I was mentioning earlier district working groups. The intent of those kinds of working groups are to engage directly with those communities on how to build that new kind of system. And to me, we are exploring every single tool that we have at our disposal to ensure that this is going to be a very different school system moving forward than the one that we have inherited.
Lehrer: And just so — to her original question there, when will we see a plan? Can you answer that?
Mayor Mamdani: Yes, that is one of our urgent priorities, and that is something that we are actively working on as an administration, something that the chancellor is leading on through the work he's been doing, but also through the plans that are being formulated.
Now what I would say is that this comes alongside the work that we have been doing to ensure that this school system is also one that's safe for students, whether it's developing and implementing out a ban on generative AI from students from the ages of 2-K through eighth grade, limited implementation in high school with a student being maximum able to access about 45 minutes of that per week, while also actually being equipped with the knowledge about what this technology will mean for the world around them and for the industries that they hope to be a part of.
And similarly, beyond the most expansive student-facing moratorium in the nation, we are also ensuring that there's actually restricted screen time. Now I know these are issues that are not as much present in the incredible piece that Nikole Hannah-Jones wrote. However, they are also part and parcel of what many parents have raised as concerns that they have about their students.
Lehrer: Alright, well, here's our first listener question. And in addition to the ones that are coming in now, in real time on the phones and text messages, we invited listeners to submit questions in advance through our Brian Lehrer Show newsletter. Here's one that came in through that, that the person recorded.
Question: Hi, Mayor Mamdani. My name is Emma. I live in Bushwick and I'm a social worker in Housing Court. My question is, will you fully fund the Right to Counsel for tenants in eviction proceedings? In 2017, the New York City Council passed Right to Counsel in Housing Court. And since then, less than half of tenants have a free public defender in eviction proceedings. That's my question.
Lehrer: So, what would you say to Emma in Bushwick, Mr. Mayor?
Mayor Mamdani: First, I'd say thank you to Emma in Bushwick for the work that she does because it is critical work that both delivers on the promise of dignity in the city and keeps New Yorkers safe. And second, I would say that Housing Court is one of the priorities that we have.
To her immediate question, it is a long-term goal for us to get to the place of fully funding this legal representation out. As she says, right now it's a partially funded reality for only a subset of tenants that are in Housing Court. That is something that we will continue to work toward.
As we do that, we also want to ask ourselves, what are the short-term things that we can deliver on? And one of the things that were announced not too long ago was the announcement alongside the Office of Civil Justice where we would actually be expediting hearing cases involving vacate orders, immediately hazardous building-like conditions or elevator outages, as well as Article 7A proceedings in which the city or tenants seek the appointment of third-party building management because of landlord neglect.
And so that fast track is something that will actually make sure that the Housing Court moves with the same urgency as the emergencies that New Yorkers are facing, and I really do want to acknowledge the OCA for all their work and assistance in making that possible.
Lehrer: Related question for me is kind of a follow-up regarding treatment of tenants. It's already been cold at night in the city, and the heating season kicks in under the law on Thursday, Oct. 1. And I know you have a new approach to heat enforcement this year. Maybe remind our listeners what landlords are required to provide, so everybody knows their rights and how you plan to get closer, and to get closer to full compliance than in the past.
Mayor Mamdani: So, thank you for providing this opportunity, Brian, to mention this. You know, earlier this year we had a set of Rental Ripoff Hearings where we convened tenants across each one of our five boroughs, and in conversations directly with tenants we heard that one of their major complaints was that the old way of inspecting heat, the traditional approach the city had had, is one that does not actually meet their needs, and that we've seen that as more and more buildings move toward using electric heat and unit-by-unit heating systems, that approach was really being called into question.
And so, starting this Thursday, as you said, on Oct. 1, HPD will investigate every single nonanonymous heat complaint rather than just investigating one complaint in the building and treating others as duplicates. And our hope is that this not only improves tenants' relationships to calling 311 and seeking repairs in their building, but that this is something that is going to have a real impact in ensuring compliance with the law, which is that between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., the inside temperature is required to be at least 62 degrees Fahrenheit, regardless of what the outside temperature is in our city.
Lehrer: How does investigating every individual apartment's complaint, as opposed to treating the building as a whole, get to more enforcement?
Mayor Mamdani: Well, we've seen at times that different tenants are experiencing different conditions in their building. And we know that too often there are complaints that are lodged and then they are automatically closed as a result of one other complaint being resolved.
And so, what we are looking for is not partial compliance; we're looking for total compliance. And so that is something that is going to be delivered on by finally investigating on every single one of these complaints that are nonanonymous, because it also makes clear to tenants that we're not going to just take someone else's word for what they are going through. We're going to actually resolve the complaint that led them to call 311.
Lehrer: It's our latest Ask the Mayor segment on WNYC. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, obviously our guest, and Noura in Brooklyn is our caller. You're on WNYC with the mayor.
Question: Hello, my name is Noura, and I'm calling as an extremely concerned Palestinian New Yorker and as someone who has family that has been seriously impacted by the genocide in Gaza. Mamdani, I want to know what your plan is to stop explosive materials, including nitrocellulose, which is a component of gunpowder, from being shipped out of our civilian airport, JFK Airport, to Israel on the same runway as our fellow New Yorkers and your constituents, to bomb and kill families in Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen and Iran, and carry out an ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has with over 75,000 confirmed martyrs and over 1,300 since the start of the supposed ceasefire. And so, I just want to know what your plan is to stop this exchange of explosive materials out of our city.
Mayor Mamdani: Noura, what I would first say is thank you for calling, and I am so sorry for what you and your family have had to suffer through as a result of this genocide—
Lehrer: And I'll just say, because I always do when this happens, that the caller called and said she was going to talk about a different issue, DoorDash, and then raised the issue that she raised. So, when callers do a bait and switch like that, I always call them out, but not to take anything away from the seriousness of the issue. So, Mr. Mayor, go ahead.
Mayor Mamdani: Absolutely, Brian, and I'm happy to talk about DoorDash after this as well. What I would say is just first to just say that I'm sorry for what you and your family have had to suffer through this genocide, and it is something that has shattered the lives of so many across the city.
And just last Wednesday evening I had the opportunity to host a number of Palestinian families from Gaza at Gracie Mansion and to hear their stories of the family members that had been killed by the Israeli military, the way that their families had been split up even to this day, with some of their siblings here in New York City, others still in Gaza.
And as we know, you mentioned it yourself in your call, the so-called ceasefire. I think it's an appropriate description because just earlier last week we saw the Israeli military kill an 11-year-old child in what is described to be a safe zone in Gaza. And so, we know that these stories are not only heartbreaking, but they also — they should urge a reckoning with all of us in the fact that our tax dollars continue to fund this.
To your immediate question about what can we do with regards to what is being shipped, I think you referred to JFK. There is — when it comes to the airports across our city, that I think ventures into what the federal government has authority over as opposed to the municipal government. However, I will look into it and follow up on this question. That is my first instinct.
And I think just to the point of what I had mentioned earlier with regards to complicity, just during the first year of the war on Gaza, the U.S. military, we had sent about $17.9 billion in aid. So, this is kind of the scale of what we are talking about.
Lehrer: As you might imagine, Mr. Mayor, we get a lot of calls for you and for other guests on Gaza, and we get a lot of calls on antisemitism as a problem in this country. And a listener texts, “I don't agree with all the Israeli government, but my family in Ohio has issues with you because they think you are antisemitic because of your [Israel] views. While I moved my family sadly from New York City recently, I was there for 20 years, proudly had my three sons grow up there.” Long-time NPR supporter and wants to know — it’s a long text, sorry, and the rest of it is not displaying. But address his concern that he obviously has about antisemitism as implied by some of your views on Israel and Gaza.
Mayor Mamdani: So, what I would first say to this listener is that antisemitism has no place in our city. And Jewish New Yorkers have helped to build this city, to shape its culture, to strengthen communities for generations, and what they deserve is not only to be safe in this city but also to be celebrated and protected by a City government that stands with them.
And as the mayor of our city, I am the mayor for all New Yorkers. And what that means is whether a New Yorker holds the same views that I do on the Israeli government or not, my responsibility is still to deliver for them all the same.
And just later today, actually, we are going to be releasing the first-ever municipal plan to combat antisemitism, which contains a comprehensive whole-of-government plan that will fulfill this commitment to not only rooting out antisemitism across the five boroughs, but protecting Jewish New Yorkers, strengthening Jewish institutions, traditions and communities.
And one of the first steps that we took to that end was that in our budget this year we fulfilled our campaign promise of increasing the funding for the Office of Hate Crime Prevention by more than 800 percent, to the tune of $26 million. And the point I would just make here, Brian, is so often when we speak about antisemitism, when we speak about hate crimes at large, the question is what you do in response to them, and we also want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to prevent them and not just waiting for them to occur to condemn them.
Lehrer: To the caller, are you frustrated at all being mayor as strongly as you feel about the Gaza issue? Because there's not much that a mayor can do about it. I think she was trying to focus you on JFK Airport is within the city, that kind of thing. Does it frustrate you? Because even as you try to run the city, and that's obviously the job and that’s how you spend the overwhelming amount of your time, does it frustrate you that you can't do more on that?
Mayor Mamdani: It is always hard to accept a world where we see this kind of devastation continue and continue to be financed by our tax dollars. And I think it is important amidst this to have moral clarity, to be honest with New Yorkers, to make clear that this is a genocide that is continuing to be funded by this administration and it is one that I fundamentally oppose.
And also, to be honest about what my — what powers I have as the mayor of our city. But always to understand that people are asking these questions also because too often, they're not being heard no matter who they ask.
And I know this is not your question, but just to say that I think the more that people feel they can ask me any question, I think, the better it is. Because what we also are trying to do in our work is to increase faith in government as a whole. And I do not begrudge anyone who has lost that faith, given what we've seen over the last few years and decades.
Lehrer: And I'll just acknowledge, as I do, that different people have different views on whether the word genocide applies. I'm not going to ask you to get into it. I'm just acknowledging that there are many people who, even if they strenuously object to what the Israeli government is doing in Gaza and consider it war crimes, think the word genocide is misapplied. So, I'm just acknowledging that difference. But Yaqub in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC as we change topics with Mayor Mamdani. Hello, Yaqub.
Question: First and foremost, I just wanted to say, Mayor Mamdani, thank for everything that you've been doing. I am a beneficiary of your policies. You've done a great job and just keep doing what you're doing. On to the subject — so, I currently work as a Uber/Lyft driver. Mayor Mamdani, there's like, barely any places for us to park, you know, to relieve ourselves or like, go get something to eat or do anything at all.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: So sorry — what I was trying to say was, Mayor Mamdani, please, we need you to like talk to your DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn and tell him that we need to expand, like, to really stand for the taxi drivers and for-hire vehicle drivers.
And then also another thing is like there are some places where only taxis are allowed to park. Like right now you have more FHV vehicles on the road than taxis, like all we need is just like an expansion of the relief stands. So, that would be greatly appreciated. I mean, just like, you know, you have like all over the place for the commercial vehicles.
You know, where it makes sense, even if you have to charge us like on a meter for just taxis and higher vehicles, we'll take that. And listen, if you want to get in contact with me, I have suggestions, I'm willing to like volunteer my time. And again, thank you for everything that you've been doing—
Lehrer: With those stands, are you talking primarily about your ability to use the bathroom?
Question: Not necessarily to use the bathroom. So, I'm a practicing Muslim. If I have to go pray, I have to like circle around to find a meter or find a place to park. Sometimes I have to double park, and you know, going quick, or I have to go use the bathroom, or if I have to do something in the city. So, it's like we just need that relief stand, not just for me, I'm talking about for all taxi drivers.
Lehrer: All the drivers. Yaqub, thank you very much. Mr. Mayor?
Mayor Mamdani: Thank you so much, Yaqub, for that question. And I think this is something that I will definitely have a conversation with my DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn about, is relief stands, because I know that they have been critically important for yellow cab drivers in years past. And I think, as you made clear, the for-hire vehicle, that population of drivers has — it is a significant population that now exceeds that of yellow cab drivers across our city.
One of the key things — I know that this was not the primary focus of the question, it was just one part of it — but to what you had said, Brian, about bathrooms, this is something that I've also spoken to a lot of delivery workers around. We're proud that now in New York City, we have rules where a delivery worker has to be allowed to use the bathroom at the restaurant that they're delivering from.
And we were passing out bathroom cards, actually, with the mayor of Mexico City just last week to a number of delivery workers right here at the Deliverista Hub that we have right outside of City Hall. And it is a hub that provides rest, bike repair, education, support services. They can also exchange out their batteries for safely charged batteries for e-bikes. And we know that safe e-bike charging is a major issue in the city.
I bring this up as an example of what a relief hub can look like for a workforce that is similarly working across our city's streets. And so, to Yaqub’s question, it is one that I will take back to see what of this example could be applied for FHV drivers, what of it could also be applied to just provide people relief. Because I think as you and I both know, Brian, the work of a for-hire driver, whether they're driving a black car or they're driving as a yellow cab driver, it is quite literally back-breaking work. It is work that you do not have access to a bathroom, you do not have access a place to naturally stretch your legs. And we are asking people to do it every single day.
And just the last part of this is there also has to be accountability for the large-scale apps that are driving this system. When we speak about delivery workers, just last week we announced — to what you had said, you thought that previous question was going to be about holding DoorDash to account for the largest delivery worker settlement in the United States of America, the largest labor settlement here in New York City, $131.5 million that DoorDash has been found guilty of systemic violations of our worker laws.
And of that, $115 million is going directly to delivery workers. They don't have to sign up for something or reach out to us. It's going to be sent to their last registered email. They have a choice whether they want to check or direct deposit. And more than $16 million in civil penalties, costs and money that will then be used to develop an application that delivery workers themselves can use to record their experience with the app so that we can double-check the work that DoorDash will send us when they send us their data to ensure they're actually being compliant with this.
Lehrer: Here's another question that a listener recorded through our Brian Lehrer Show newsletter, and this is also about life on the roads and the streets of New York. And the topic is one I know you hear a lot about these days, Mr. Mayor. Here we go.
Question: Greetings, Mayor Mamdani. We support you, we think you’re very good and like your attitude and your demeanor and how you treat everybody. But I have a concern with all these bicycles going up and down, left and right. It's getting very dangerous and dicey out there, and I'm wondering when the city is going to crack down. I don't want anybody to get hurt, but I don’t want to get hurt either. Thank you very much.
Lehrer: And, Mr. Mayor, I'll add to that a text that has come in. Listener writes, “Why, out of the 24 bills being heard tomorrow at the House hearing” — I think they mean City Council hearing — “Priscilla's Law to license and register all e-vehicles is not one of them. And why is he so against a bill that would guarantee safety for all?” So, what do you say to the caller and that texter?
Mayor Mamdani: Well, first, your callers are very, very polite, Brian. They're very kind with their descriptions and their openings. What I would say is, to the question at the heart of it, we know that we've seen a number of incidents in recent weeks, especially with, I think the most recent one that we're speaking of is actually a dump truck having struck and killed a delivery worker and then fleeing the scene.
And I want to be very clear that whether you are walking, biking, driving, riding public transit, no matter your mode of transit, you deserve to get where you're going safely. And while it is a good thing that traffic deaths are at historic lows, any death is one too many.
And I think the question to the Council bill, and what the Council is hearing, I think some of that I will to the Council. What I will say kind of broadly is that we are looking — we are developing out a comprehensive safety strategy focused on infrastructure, on new legal tools and smart enforcement.
What we've heard from a number of constituents is their concern is also the speed of some of these e-bikes, and what we found is that there were more than 40 retailers willfully selling e-bikes that went above the legal limits. And so, we sent cease-and-desist letters out. We saw compliance from a number of them.
And I just want to be very clear; these are not exclusively retailers whose names you and I have never heard of. Some of these included some of the largest retailers in the country, including, I think it was, you know, we saw Best Buy, we saw a number of others. And we've started to see some compliance with the letters that we've sent out, because if you are selling an e-bike that can go 45 miles an hour, that is an invitation to New Yorkers; and for many New Yorkers, they will think if they can purchase a vehicle like that in New York City then it is legal for them to ride at the maximum limit. And that is not the case.
Lehrer: But beyond speed, I think what the caller was getting at, I'll ask you this specific question that I think might be what he was getting: “Are you for more ticketing of the riders of e-bikes and other two-wheelers, especially motorized ones, that ignore red lights or go the wrong way down one-way streets, the same standard for regular traffic tickets as car drivers?”
Mayor Mamdani: I am for holding accountable anyone who violates our traffic safety laws, and I do believe in the same standard of treating the way that we treat drivers and the way we treat cyclists. That's one of the things that we did in the earlier months of our administration was to create a parity in the way that that ticketing was done. And what we've seen is, as of just this year, that that continues to be a tool that our NYPD is utilizing to ensure that there is a real focus on whenever there is an example of recklessness.
Lehrer: Next text comes from a listener who writes, “Please ask the mayor what will be done with a proposed new facility at Hunts Point Market.” And let me give people a little background on that. This is about diesel pollution, right? That environmental justice issue for people in that part of the Bronx. And as it happens, I'm glad somebody wrote in on this because our City Hall reporter Elizabeth Kim has a new story on this. That sadly this years-in-the-making project, which there seemed to be an agreement on, fell apart, I guess, during your first months. And so, the main question here that I think is the most relevant is: Do you believe the Hunts Point plan can be revived?
Mayor Mamdani: You know, Brian, as our deputy mayor for economic justice, Julie Su, had mentioned on the show recently, the reality is, is that this was a deal that was forced through on the final day of the prior administration and where there was a clause that the entire project would fall apart if terms could not be reached within just a few short months. And ultimately the co-op did not agree to those terms. So, this iteration is not one that's moving forward.
I do want to be clear that that doesn't mean we've given up on electrifying or modernizing more of the market. We are continuing to meet with the co-op. We feel confident that we will be able to advance projects that benefit the Hunts Point community and all of our city at large. And what we also are interested in doing is setting up terms that actually speak to what the co-op is willing to do and able to do.
Lehrer: I know you've got to go. We're about at the end of our time. I'm just curious to ask you, after the interesting week that you had last week, meeting for mayors all over the world who were here for the U.N. General Assembly — if you heard anything specific from any other mayor from any other country that you think New York might learn from or implement?
Mayor Mamdani: You know, it was quite an incredible week, Brian, where it was — typically the focus is on the U.N. General Assembly and prime ministers and presidents and foreign ministers and heads of state of all very different kinds.
In the days prior to that, we actually had a convening of something called U20, and that was a convening of kind of a municipal version of what is the G20 of mayors of cities from across the world.
And one thing that really stayed with me was something that the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, shared, was the way that they are dealing with the climate crisis there, that they had to deal with about — they received more rainfall in 30 minutes than they had expected to receive in an entire month, knowing that we are facing these kinds of crises at the same time.
And when we were talking about the heat aspect as opposed to the flash flooding aspect, they mentioned a program they have there called the Big Chill, where they have started to utilize movie theaters as a potential cooling center and also a way to provide the population with access to the arts. And I thought that was a fascinating dual-purpose initiative that our city could potentially learn from.
And then just, I wanted to just let you know, as I'm signing off here, to Yaqub’s question on the relief stands, I actually just heard from DOT that we are currently going through rulemaking that would allow taxis and FHVs to park in commercial spots. So, that wouldn't be an additional number of taxi relief stands, but it would be an expansion of where those taxis can park, ensuring that it could also apply just to the example that Yaqub gave, which was the commercial ones.
Lehrer: All right, breaking news. And there we leave it for this edition of Ask the Mayor, my questions and yours for Mayor Mamdani. Appreciate that you'll continue to do these. Thanks for coming on today. We really appreciate it a lot.
Mayor Mamdani: Real pleasure, Brian. Thank you for having me.
Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Much more to come.
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