He stands by his word.
After just 100 days in office, many of Mayor Zoran Mamdani’s ambitious campaign promises have begun to fade. He has occasionally reversed his stance or altered his goals so much that the vision for the city feels nearly unrecognizable.
The unexpected victory of the democratic socialists in the 2025 election relied heavily on broad promises intended to resonate with voters.
His key initiatives, such as universal childcare, free and fast public transportation, and a rent freeze, really excited the electorate. Yet, he had also committed to various other changes aimed at significantly transforming New York City.
Municipal Grocery Store
One of Mamdani’s early promises of opening a city-run grocery store has largely slipped from discussions during these initial months. He had maintained that if the city covered the rent and property taxes, five grocery stores, one for each ward, could operate at wholesale prices for hardworking citizens. However, no grocery store has opened to date. Instead, the city is proposing a $70 million allocation to the Economic Development Corporation to establish five new grocery locations.
Life Safety Department
Mamdani’s bold $1.1 billion plan to establish a “Community Safety Bureau” to have social workers handle non-violent 911 calls, rather than the police, has not met its high expectations. So far, he has merely initiated the Mayor’s Office for Community Safety. This is a much-reduced version of what was initially promised, staffed with only two personnel and operating on a somewhat unclear budget of $260 million.
Strategic Response Group
While running for mayor, Mamdani vowed to dismantle the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group. This specialized unit, still intact and tasked with managing protests, remains unchanged as he has repeated his promise to break it down.
Homeless Encampment
After winning the election, Mamdani pledged to end the previous administration’s practice of removing homeless encampments, instead prioritizing housing for the homeless. However, following severe winter storms that resulted in numerous deaths, he changed his approach. His new directive involves engaging with those living in encampments repeatedly for a week to encourage them to leave the streets before dismantling their temporary shelters.
NYPD Gang Database
During his campaign, Mamdani and other leftist figures called for the abolition of the NYPD’s gang database, claiming it fosters racial profiling. But as he settles into his role as mayor, his former firm objections seem to be softening. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch noted that the database is utilized daily, yet Mamdani has remained quiet on the matter. He did express criticism of the database recently and indicated that reforms are underway.
Housing Voucher
Former Mayor Adams angered City Council members and housing advocates by resisting the expansion of CityFHEPS, the city’s housing voucher initiative. In response, Mamdani’s campaign explicitly promised to withdraw the lawsuit opposing its expansion. After taking office, however, he shifted direction, appealing to maintain the lawsuit, leading a supporter to label this move a “betrayal.”
Class Size Rules
As a legislator in Queens, Mamdani backed a controversial law aiming to reduce class sizes in NYC public schools. Although Adams initially held back his stance on the law, he renewed support as his election campaign progressed. Now, Mamdani is quietly advocating for a relaxation of these requirements, backed by influential state legislators, as he confronts a significant budget deficit.
Library
The state of the city’s public library has suffered from one of Mamdani’s most notable broken promises. During his campaign, he assured he would cease the practice of using library funds as leverage in budget talks and commit 0.5% of the city’s budget to libraries, calling out the previous administration’s tactics. In his role as mayor, however, he cut library funding by $30 million and allocated only 0.39% of the budget for library services.
“Mayor Mamdani has broken his promise,” declared members from the New York City Public Library Action Network. Ryan Adams, a consulting firm’s managing director, remarked, “The honeymoon is over for Mamdani. However, my relationship with New York remains intact.” He observed that Mamdani’s rapid retreat from core promises has ignited discontent among advocates for the homeless and the public, drawing attention to the challenges of governance versus campaigning. “The campaign was just that—a campaign. The administration is a different beast, often involving compromises,” he noted.
