"When he said, I don't want to do this, but your property tax will go up 9.5 percent unless the state taxes the rich, what everyone heard was, Rather than cut unnecessary spending, I'm going to raise your property taxes. The entire political establishment immediately leapt at the chance to say Over my dead body!"
"I'm not talking about the well-deserved criticism about spending $21 billion just for a deck to support 12,000 homes. It matters not that it would be free money from the feds. That's $1.75 million per home without even building any! Add in the apartments and the price would be $2.5 million apiece."
"These progressives had their chance to craft a Sunnyside housing plan in 2018 and they blew it. They insisted on letting the community drive the process, which led to infighting, absurd demands and the most popular person in Queens—AOC—being chased off the advisory panel."
Mayor Zohran Mamdani's political standing has weakened due to two major issues. First, his property tax proposal—framed as necessary unless the state taxes the wealthy—was widely perceived as prioritizing tax increases over spending cuts, prompting swift political opposition. Second, his Sunnyside affordable housing plan drew criticism for its $21 billion infrastructure cost supporting 12,000 homes, equating to $1.75 million per unit before construction. The plan also generated political backlash from Queens leaders who felt bypassed when Mamdani pitched the project to President Trump instead of consulting them. These missteps contrast with earlier progressive efforts in 2018 that failed due to community infighting and ideological disputes.
Read at therealdeal.com
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