Mayor Supports Police Pension Legislation, Strays from Progressive Base

Mayor Zoran Mamdani has taken a step away from his far-left Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) base by endorsing legislation that will enhance police pensions and extend the retirement age for NYPD officers.

Progressive city council members have made it clear that they will not back two state bills requiring a pro-home rule message from the mayor for progress in Albany.

“Progressives were losing ground, but they weren’t getting the votes,” a City Council official commented.

The proposed bill, backed by police unions, would increase the retirement age for most NYPD officers from 62 to 65, which would enable them to stay in service longer. Additionally, the bill would elevate pensions by calculating them based on the final three years of service instead of just the last year.

Mamdani issued a last-minute “letter of necessity,” which lowered the voting threshold for bills needing approval from the council.

A spokesperson for the mayor indicated that Mamdani expressed his support for the bills following requests from the city council. There was also pressure from NYPD union leaders for him to take action, as noted by City Council officials.

In 2022, a similar bill was defeated, led by DSA council member Tiffany Caban, when the left-wing council members abstained from voting, falling just short of the necessary votes, as reported by City and State.

At that time, Mayor Eric Adams withheld the documents needed to support the bill, citing budget concerns. The New York City DSA later accused Adams of inflating the NYPD’s budget at the expense of social services.

However, once Mamdani voiced his support for the current bill, many progressive council members followed suit. The specifics of his letter, including the lower voting threshold, seemed not to matter, as there was an overwhelming vote in favor of the pro-police national code message.

“They realize that protesting for the sake of opposing everything that has to do with the NYPD is just not effective,” shared one anonymous City Council member.

The council voted 47-2 to back the extension of executive retirements, with only council members Cabán and Althea Stevens voting against it, while Jennifer Gutierrez and Chi Oce abstained and one was absent.

Support for a more generous NYPD pension also passed with a vote of 42-5, though several members chose not to vote and others abstained. Again, one member was absent.

Both bills require a home rule application from New York City to proceed in Albany.

During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani seemed to distance himself from the “defund the police” stance he had as a state representative, echoing a rallying cry similar to other socialists advocating for budget cuts to the NYPD.

One of the main focuses of his campaign was to abolish police overtime entirely, proposing to redirect those funds toward creating a new agency staffed by social workers, designed to handle mental health emergencies. This agency has yet to materialize.

While campaigning, Mamdani faced criticism for previous comments referring to the NYPD as racist and anti-gay.

A spokesperson for the mayor stated that his administration supports extending the service duration for veteran police officers, claiming these measures would be financially beneficial for the city in the long run.

Yet, council member Ressler, who is part of the City Council Progressive Caucus and disagrees with the mayor regarding the police pension bill, argued the opposite, maintaining that this would create a system where employees are incentivized to inflate their overtime pay as they near retirement. He questioned the fiscal responsibility of this policy.

Mamdani’s shift in stance has led some insiders at City Hall to wonder if he will prioritize political expediency over his previous statements.

“It’s like, are we defunding the police or do we need them? I don’t remember. Maybe the mayor can remind us,” joked one councilman.

This isn’t the first time the mayor has distanced himself from DSA allies; he previously reappointed Jessica Tisch as police chief. Tisch, a notable Jewish New Yorker and Zionist, has been criticized by socialist groups for her push to reverse certain criminal justice reforms made in 2019.