John Catsimatidis, a notable figure in New York City’s supermarket scene, expressed his frustration over Zoran Mamdani’s unexpected election win. Mamdani, identified as a Democratic socialist, has proposed the controversial idea of public grocery stores.
In a brief phone conversation on Wednesday, Catsimatidis voiced his discontent with Mamdani’s urban planning decisions, stating, “I don’t say anything about grocery stores!”
The billionaire, who leads the Red Apple Group with extensive interests in media, real estate, and major grocery chains like Gristedes and D’Agostino, also raised alarms about the potential decline in the city’s “quality of life.”
“New York cannot afford to lose any more people,” he added, expressing significant concern over Mamdani’s intentions regarding the police force and the future judicial appointees of the next mayor.
The mayor has the responsibility to appoint numerous judges across various courts, which includes family, criminal, civil, and housing courts. There are additional positions to be filled in administrative law as well.
Mamdani, who had previously advocated for police defunding in 2020, shifted his stance recently, asserting that he would not reduce the NYPD’s budget or personnel.
He had infamously tweeted, “We don’t need an investigation to know the NYPD is racist, anti-gay, and a major threat to public safety. What we need is #DefundTheNYPD,” though he later retracted those statements, attributing them to his emotional reaction to the “murder of George Floyd.”
Catsimatidis urged Governor Kathy Hochul to enhance oversight of New York City operations, stating, “Right now, that burden falls on the governor’s office. [Hochul] We need to keep our thumbs up,” referencing a recent editorial.
Finally, he shared his thoughts on whether President Trump would redirect federal funding away from the city, asserting, “The president of the United States is going to make sure that the federal funds that New York City receives are used appropriately.”
