"You've called here before, haven't you? Which led me to believe that 1) not many people with English accents are calling the Philadelphia mayor's office to offer unsolicited advice on urban sanitation; and 2) I should probably seek help with my trash obsession. Since I seem to be airing all my unresolved psychological issues, I should probably add that I have recently diagnosed myself with a condition called Mamdani Mayoral Envy (MME)."
"Symptoms include reading about New York and wondering why your city can't be led by someone who actually seems to give a damn the way Zohran Mamdani does. I don't want to put mayor Mamdani on a pedestal. He's obviously not perfect, but you've got to admit he provides a glimmer of hope among all the gloom. He didn't water down his morals to get elected, speaking openly about Israel's genocide in Gaza."
"He didn't try to find some focus-group-approved centrist ground to campaign from, but stood for an ambitious affordability platform. And instead of abandoning all his promises the moment he got into power (hello, Keir Starmer!), Mamdani genuinely appears to be trying to deliver on them. For the past four-and-a-half months, he has been busy."
"He has balanced the budget without cutting public services. He's protected library funding in a way no other mayor has. He's working with the New York governor to expand free childcare. And he said on Monday that he will be delivering on his campaign pledge to open city-own"
A person channels perimenopausal rage and existential angst into repeatedly calling Philadelphia government offices about trash problems, sometimes offering suggestions that are not well received. A prior call is recognized, leading to the belief that the behavior may be driven by an obsession. The person self-diagnoses Mamdani Mayoral Envy, describing it as reading about New York and feeling that one’s city should be led by someone who seems to care. The mayor Zohran Mamdani is presented as a hopeful contrast, with claims that he speaks openly about Israel’s genocide in Gaza, runs on an ambitious affordability platform, and attempts to deliver on promises after taking office. Reported actions include balancing the budget without cutting public services, protecting library funding, working with the New York governor to expand free childcare, and planning to open city-owned housing.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]