“Tenants are a majority, it’s time we had a mayor who acted like it,” says Zohran Mamdani, the frontrunner in the New York City mayoral race.
When Mamdani says it, believe him. If he wins, tenants will be favored, and homeowners will be in his crosshairs.
They already are. Mamdani is vowing to fully enforce Local Law 97, a law that clobbers condo and co-op owners with costly mandates to reduce their buildings’ carbon emissions at their own expense.
If Mamdani wins, middle- and working-class people who saved and bought a co-op or condo in a high-rise complex will be facing huge cost increases. More than a million New Yorkers – cops, teachers, accountants, retirees – own the 832,000 units impacted by Local Law 97, and many will suddenly be faced with budget-breaking costs.
The law was passed by the New York City Council in 2019, but it sets a 2030 deadline to reduce carbon emissions by 40%, meaning buildings have to start the costly construction process now to convert from oil-burner heating and gas stoves to electric heat and stoves in the name of climate improvement.
Owners at Queensview, Inc., a complex of 14 buildings in Long Island City built in 1950, are told the conversion will cost them $62 million, which will boost their monthly maintenance by $1,155 for a one-bedroom apartment. That’s about double. Owners who can’t afford the increase may be forced to sell – at fire-sale prices since their neighbors will be struggling with the same cost hikes.
Mamdani vows to rigorously enforce this lunatic law, expressly opposing what he calls “loopholes,” like selling owners renewable energy credits or offering time extensions to comply. His website mentions assistance “for middle-income homeowners,” but he’s never followed up with any specifics.
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa opposes Local Law 97, posting on X on June 7 that the law is “forcing longtime New Yorkers out of their apartments they’ve lived in for decades. The cost is just too high. Especially in a housing crisis …”
Candidate Andrew Cuomo has said he’s open to modifying the law. Of course, that would require the City Council going along – a big maybe. An alternative is for the next mayor to slow-walk enforcement. Unless it’s Mamdani.
Here’s the biggest outrage. Local Law 97 takes a million or more modest New York homeowners to the cleaners to pay the tab for a scheme that offers no demonstrable benefit to the city’s air quality or the health of its residents. Zero.
City Council members should have examined the facts before mandating these high-rise buildings to convert from oil-burning heat to electrical heat. It’s an example of legislative malpractice. Left-wing climate ideologues are happy to spend other people’s money without asking if the scheme makes sense.
A report from New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine and School of Global Public Health, published in Frontiers, shows how scientifically farcical Local Law 97 is. The two authors, both climate activists, caution that the benefits of the law “may only materialize in future generations – and only if similarly ambitious policies are embraced worldwide.”
The authors add that there’s “scant literature” demonstrating any health benefits from Local Law 97.
Here’s the kicker. Although the co-ops and condos are being forced to convert from fossil fuel heating to electrical heat, these buildings will then be buying their electricity from suppliers who still generate it using fossil fuels. The NYU scientists conclude “building electrification is unlikely to yield net benefit without a transition to renewable energy sources” citywide, something the city has not done.
Message to the condo and co-op owners: You are getting shafted. The climate ideologues pushing Local Law 97 didn’t bother to get the facts.
Mamdani is vowing to actualize “the vision of Local Law 97.” The condo and co-op owners facing financial stress and even the loss of their homes because of the law should go to the polls this November and vote for anybody but Mamdani. They should also vote against any City Council members who supported the law.
These co-op and condo owners likely number more than 1 million voters. The issue is who will turn out: these homeowners or the 1.7 million tenants Mamdani is promising rent freezes. Middle-income co-op owners slamming Local Law 97 can turn this election, predicts Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf.
Protecting the Earth against climate damage and preparing New York City for climate changes are worthy goals. But Mamdani and the extremists’ push to enforce Local Law 97 ignores the facts and treats New York City homeowners with utter disrespect.
Betsy McCaughey is a former Lt. Governor of New York State and founder of SAVENYC @SAVENYC.org. Follow her on Twitter @Betsy_McCaughey.
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Mamdani is a power-hungry punk who has no conscience or humility when it comes to forcing his evil Marxist agenda on honest, hard-working Americans.
Well, if Mamdani wins in November (just 2 months away), the voters in NYC will have proven that 1) they are empirically-proven insane 2) the economic base of the city is insane if they stay there.
Climate changing policies are pie in the sky themes. They want to make everything to run on electricity. Only the power to do that isn’t there. Nor is the making of power, climate change worthy. Still using coal and oil to power these Condos. With brownouts following. The democrats always have these great ideas on paper but can’t stand the daylight in practice. They just followed the orders of the WEF you will own nothing, by 2030, but you will be happy. Mamdani is selling that malarkey every day. I am for the tenants, he says. Yes then when you have only the tenants left as your tax base you will be living in these electrified condos 10 persons to a condo. Freezing in the winter for there won’t be any electric heat. The communist grocery stores won’t have any items on the shelf. Infrastructure is in decline and prosperity is only with the leaders. They are living in their mansions far away from these condos getting richer. And telling the people it’s all done for you. Only by that time it will be too late. 97 doesn’t work not anytime. Even under a middle of the road democrat. This law was passed to take away any assets the constituents own. And homeownership was the last vestige. Please vote these communists out. Along with the progressives. You New Yorkers are digging your own grave if you vote in Mamdani.
Pure socialisim via NYC IF voted in
If the people of NewYork vote this man into office they will live under communist rules until next election.He is oviously a communist.What a sad day that woiuld be.
I am a 51 year old life long NYC resident, second and third generation. I am also a homeowner. If Mamdani wins, he is going to stick a knife so deep into this city’s back it will take decades to recover. I’m trying to hold on for as long as I can but this guy just scares the hell out of me. And not much scares me.
PS not all NYC residents are lunatic liberals.
Democrats have been proven insane by their actions and their votes. It is time to put them away for good.
Yes New Yorker’s, this is how communists do business. Believe him when he says these things. I’m 85 yrs old, and watched the dem party sell our America.
I sincerely hope that Mamdani completely ruins the city. The Lefty NYC morons that will make him mayor in November deserve to be punished.
With his promised rent freeze, building owners will have no way to recoup their losses. They will leave the state in droves. And who’s going to pay for the renovations then?
This may sound crazy but I believe that this could end up being a good thing in the very long-term. Every once in a while need a socialist who capaigns on ‘free candy and no homework’. And when they fail (and invariably they will fail), their followers will stand there, homeless and hungry, realizing that Capitalism, Democracy and the Republican Party were not so terrible after all.
If this communist wins, watch for an exodus of NY liberals who were stupid enough to vote him into office. Then these fleeing idiots will take their liberal ideology to conservative states.
The irony is that Mamdani is telling New Yorker exactly what he will do, yet New Yorkers believe that he has their best interests at heart. They believe that no-cash bail is the right thing to do. That is because poor people get the shaft when they commit crimes because they can’t afford a good lawyer. Somehow, and New Yorkers don’t know why, criminals released back onto the street, continue to commit crimes. De-funding the police was great policy, except for some unexplainable reason, crime seems to have gotten worse even though the data doesn’t support it. Most New Yorkers don’t realize that even though arrests are up, the crime rate is going down. Could it be that crimes are downgraded or not prosecuted by soft-on-crime DAs? Of course, New Yorkers largely don’t bother to vote anyway. That leaves their fate in the hands of those dedicated citizens (mostly) who do.
It will take a big dose of Leftist reality for the idiots in NYC to stop reflexively voting “D.” Time to look at the candidate, his/her background, his/her policies, his/her accomplishments, and so forth. All the Democrats have done for NYC for at least four decades now is all negative. Time to throw them out.
The owners of these buildings will sell on the cheap, just to get out from under. Who will buy these “deals”? Why Mamdani’s Muslim friends who want to turn NYC into a Muslim city complete with Sharia law and a seat or two in Congress.
Tell these green “no nothings” to contact CO2 Coalition for the truth . ASAP
I was born in NYC and to see how the city has decayed is amazing. It had a short lived rebirth under Giuliani as mayor and after him it has been downhill. My parents left NYC in 1948 at the start of White Flight for they could see how minorities were moving in, and crime was going up. Nothing has changed except now there are Muslims along with the other minorities who have made NYC a sewer. I hope Mamdani is elected so the people who elected him can rejoice and the rest of us can see NYC implode!
Once again, some people have to hit absolute rock bottom before they understand that NOTHING in life is ever free! I sincerely hope that if this commie, disguised as Santa Claus wins in November, NYC actually survives long enough to learn their lesson!
“Tenants are a majority, it’s time we had a mayor who acted like it,” That sentence alone proves Mamdani is unfit for any office, let alone mayor of NYC. Does he (and his ignorant supporter AOC) know nothing of economics? That is why these two are both Communists, of course. Landlords in the city have rent controlled apartments to deal with. Even while property taxes, services and utilities skyrocket, they are not allowed to raise rents. There are landlords in NYC who can no longer pay their mortgages because of the frozen rents. So—if this mayor “acts like it,” he will be faced with bankrupted property owners and buildings that will turn into tenements because they cannot afford building upkeep. The more we learn about Mamdani (and supporters like Letitia James, AOC, etc.) the louder NYers are warned to get out of town as fat as they can. Mamdani is already ruining what was once the greatest city in the nation, if not the world. I hope NYers enjoy the filth, crime, empty stores and the ignoramuses surrounding them, the only ones left, who voted for him.
He’s garbage like most left wing lunatics. I left NYC eight plus years ago and not due to anything like this, politics. But now, living in Jacksonville, I’m damned glad I did.
It still remains unfathomable to me that the likes of Mamdani ever got a toe hold in his bid to be Mayor. It would seem the folks in New York, at least enough of them, are close to brain dead if they cannot detect his marxist leanings. There must be something in the water.
Only a crack head could possibly believe any insane blather that comes from his mouth, he is pandering to the mob, appealing to the instincts, emotions and impulses, if people do not wake up and stir themselves enough to go to vote, they are in a biggest trouble they could possibly imagine, I would like to see the look on the faces of those looking for the chicken in the pot and there being only a wing.If even that. As for the affordable housing, how long before that is destroyed? People really are stupid beyond belief, they either are not capable or are refusing to learn.
Good! These pseudo-socialist, hardcore dims need a wakeup call. Maybe this will do it. Then again, I’m probably overestimating their intelligence. If they had any, this clown wouldn’t even be in the running.
He is an enemy to our country and needs to be dealt with and deported to a Socialist country along with any one who wants to vote for him!!!
The only way this fool can win an election is if the majority DOESN’T vote. Get off your ass and vote, or keep you mouth shut when everything goes to poop.
Capitalism built New York and the USA………socialism will destroy them both.
Because New Yorkers have been STUPID ENOUGH to continue electing Democrats, Socialists, and possibly now, a Communist, they deserve every terrible thing that these losers inflict on them. UNENDING SKYHIGH TAXES, OUT OF CONTROL CRIME, LOSS OF FREEDOMS, DRUGS KILLING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE, FAILING SCHOOLS, PERVERTS DESTROYING FEMALE SPORTS, MUTILATION AND CHEMICAL CASTRATIONS OF CHILDREN.
EVERYTHING THESE DAMN LIBERAL PROGRESSIVE SOCIALIST/COMMIES TOUCH TURNS TO $HIT, AND CAUSE MISERTY FOR EVERYONE THEIR POLICIES FALL UPON.
ARE NEW YORKERS GOIN TO ELECT YET ANOTHER DECEIVING, CORRUPT, LYING, SELF-PROCLAIMING AND EVIL COMMUNIST?
IF THEY DO, IT’S THE END OF NYC.
Progressive Leftist Liberals have just given up…they no longer want to have to compete and “be the better person” . They want Government to take care of them from “cradle to grave”. They are lazy, unmotivated, entitled, leeches who just “want”.
I have said before. Muslims do not belong in this country. If you are a Muslim, that is all I need to know! And US citizens should know by now that they have said and keep saying that they will overtake the US.
NY People have they lost the last Shred of Common Sense to stand for this Guy??
Will our country EVER get rid of idiots in office?
People voting Democrat for the handouts has set NYC up for this. What is there to say?
I sure am glad that I don’t live in NYC. This guy is NUTS! If the citizens vote for him, they will get JUST what they asked for. I will not feel one bit sorry for them.
This viper is appealing to people who think they are entitled to a free ride and that this silver-tongued devil will deliver them from their oppressors. He is a dangerous Demagogue and needs to be stopped.
Win Curtis Sliwa Just WIN, New York needs you more now than ever before.
Perhaps New York City is an excellent place to begin this experiment with socialism. Mamdani may be the biggest asset to destroying this whole socialist agenda. I can see New York City being impacted severely. Large companies will depart to other states. The economy of New York City will make the transition from one of the most important and influential financial centers in the world to that of a third world economy. I can see it now the stock markets leaving for Miami, Dallas, or some other city. New York City residents will learn a valuable lesson in what sounds great on paper and in the classroom is false and actually harmful and disastrous. This will be painful, yet instructional.
If the people vote for him, they deserve whatever he hands out. Hopefully, there are more smart people in New York than stupid liberal democrats.
It absolutely amazes me how these commie socialists are so popular. Says a lot about the media and our education system, doesn’t it? I am tired of hearing that New York will get what it deserves if he wins. Today New York, tomorrow Minnesota. Then where, maybe your city? Maybe your state? This is a national problem not just a local one. And as this crap gains traction we can never recover. Really think the media is dead? Then why is socialism so popular? How do we stop this?
They think they are in the USSR and not the US of A!!!!! They’re a bunch of socialist, communist, terrorists looking to take over the USA our standards, traditions and values.
The headline is exactly what voters need to wake them up before the election. Extra words to expand and explain the plan to make living affordable for the poor will lose some readers. We all need to think about the outright theft of private property before it happens.
Raise your hand if you plan to visit any of these communist lead cities in your lifetime.
As more money is needed for the free programs suggested by the lefts golden boys, funding will drop precipitously. Don’t get me started on the crime problem.
It’s a sure bet that the homes that AOC, Mamdani, Schumer, Howard Stern, Hochul, and other favored democrats, will not be required to convert their heating systems in NY. Bankruptcy for thee, but not for me!
I wonder if the people we see in this candidate’s rallies, except James the AG, really live in NYC? Which tenant realizes how this will impact them? Never mind the owners of these buildings. In short this 97 law is even unconstitutional on its face, guarantees no PRIVATE PROPERTY. Add to this, this man is a communist/socialist, IMO.
The perpetual attraction of socialism is taking other people’s stuff.
The other issue is the Curly effect (named for the former Boston mayor). You make conditions for voters likely to vote against you so intolerable that they move out of that particular jursitistiction.
I feel sorry for those people in the crosshairs!
If Mamdani takes over, Communism will teach the citizens who voted for it very quickly. Like it says in the Bible, “Evil will Destroy Itself.” Law and Order will be non-existent, the New York City economy will collapse and there will be a mass exodus out of New York by anyone who can escape Tyranny as soon as possible
Just like Chi town, N.Y. has lost its marbles…you get what you deserve when you vote in these brainless leaders….In Chi Town if it wasn’t for the alustrious teacher’s union the racist mayor would have never gotten in……… Now deal with it…you wanted it, now you got it !!!
Do NOT HIRE THIS PERSON NEW YORK. WTF?
Just wondering…. if elected, will his actions affect the whole of New York State?
(As an aside: I’d suggest potus withdraw from his favorite city_).
will they build new generators?
how much will the electrical bills increase?
the sky continues to fall….