Transition Team Appointment Sparks Controversy
Even if you don’t succeed right away, persistence can lead to future success.
Former director of the contentious $1 billion Thrive New York City mental health initiative, Susan Herman, who also owns the popular Plum boutique in Dumbo, has joined Mayor-elect Zoran Mamdani’s transition team.
Herman’s shop features locally sourced, handcrafted products, including an octagonal table priced at $450. The woodworker behind it believes that our living spaces significantly influence mental health—a sentiment that feels somewhat vague and may remind some of the therapy-like language that characterized Herman’s past involvement with Thrive NYC. That program was often seen as a vanity project for Bill de Blasio’s wife, Charlaine McCray, and faded from the spotlight after Eric Adams took office in 2022.
Although Herman seemed to prefer staying out of the limelight while selling items like a $340 “Mega Wine Bone Board,” her recent appointment to the Mamdani Transition Committee for Community Safety has drawn renewed scrutiny. Some New Yorkers remain skeptical, recalling the previous issues surrounding Thrive NYC.
“Why would Mr. Mamdani appoint someone from a failed program that squandered nearly $1 billion in taxpayer funds?” asked Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island), advocating for an investigation into Thrive NYC. “Instead, he should conduct a case study to understand why this initiative was such a failure.”
Thrive NYC has become a burden for de Blasio, facing criticism over allegations that it was used to elevate McCray’s profile, along with questions regarding its spending and overall effectiveness. Leaders of the program, especially McCray, often struggled to articulate its goals, even during notable City Council hearings.
The initiative has since been rebranded as the Office of Community Mental Health and continues to operate, though less visibly.
Interestingly, Thrive NYC’s approach bears similarities to Mamdani’s proposed “community safety authority,” intended to alleviate some of the NYPD’s responsibilities concerning public safety issues, including mental health. However, it’s unclear whether Herman’s experiences at Thrive NYC will influence her contributions to the new division.
Herman has not made any comments on the matter, and Mamdani’s team has yet to respond.
Still, her return to public life is leaving some New Yorkers with a sense of déjà vu.
Stefano Forte, president of the Young Republicans Club of New York, remarked, “Despite Zoran’s promise of ‘transparency,’ he’s bringing back Susan Herman—a figure from City Hall’s murky past—making it seem as if we’ve forgotten the Billion-dollar mismanagement associated with Thrive NYC, which allegedly funneled taxpayer money to Charlaine McCray.”
“At this rate, the Mamdani administration is shaping up to be a repeat of de Blasio’s, complete with the same familiar faces and ongoing issues. It’s a bit unsettling to think that Zoran might be even better at leading a chaotic circus than de Blasio was.”
