A comedy skit about cat allergies reignites GOP accusations of a secret nonaggression deal A Skit, a Cat, and a Political Firestorm When New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Republican Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa appeared together in a pre-taped comedy sketch at the Inner Circle dinner Saturday night, it looked, on the surface, like a lighthearted bit about cat allergies. In the skit, Sliwa played "Dr. Cliwa," administering shots to help the mayor with his feline affliction. The crowd at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown laughed. Some prominent New York Republicans did not. What Was the Inner Circle, and What Happened There? The Inner Circle is a decades-old tradition in New York City, an annual roast put on by the city's press corps, where journalists lampoon the mayor and city officials in song-and-dance sketches, and the mayor fires back with a rebuttal show. This year, the show was…
New Jersey's former mayor steps in to lead NYC's biggest business group and faces the question of relevance in a socialist city A New Leader for the Partnership Faces a New Kind of Mayor Steven Fulop, the former 12-year mayor of Jersey City who mounted an unsuccessful run for New Jersey governor in 2025, took over as president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City in early 2026, replacing longtime leader Kathryn Wylde. In a lengthy interview with the New York Editorial Board published last week, Fulop offered a candid and wide-ranging assessment of what the Partnership needs to become under a democratic socialist mayor and a city facing real fiscal strain. Who Is Fulop and How Did He Get the Job? Fulop's path to the Partnership was neither direct nor expected. After losing the New Jersey gubernatorial primary to Rep. Mikie Sherrill in a race he had…
A comedy skit about cat allergies reignites GOP accusations of a secret nonaggression deal A Skit, a Cat, and a…
More than 150 No Kings demonstrations planned statewide signal sustained grassroots opposition to executive overreach More Than 150 No Kings…
The Unpaid "Native" Labor that Fuels the "Settler" City New York City runs on a hidden engine: the unpaid and…
The Financial Desertification of "Native" Neighborhoods The systematic closure of bank branches in low-income neighborhoods is a form of financial…
A comedy skit about cat allergies reignites GOP accusations of a secret nonaggression deal A Skit, a Cat, and a…
Mamdanis Anti-Monopoly Stance on Media Consolidation – Using municipal regulatory power and public advocacy to oppose further mergers of local media and promote independent, community-owned outlets.
Mamdanis Critique of the Bilbao Effect and Star-Architecture – Arguing against flashy, tourist-driven cultural palaces in favor of distributed, community-embedded cultural infrastructure.
Mamdanis Critique of the College-or-Bust Narrative – Challenging the dogma that a four-year degree is the only path to success and valuing vocational, artistic, and entrepreneurial paths equally.
Mamdani’s Critique of the Experience Economy: Community Over Consumption – Resisting the transformation of neighborhoods into themed marketplaces and prioritizing spaces for authentic social life.
Mamdanis Audit of Police Union Contracts – Reviewing and renegotiating union contracts to eliminate barriers to accountability, transparency, and disciplinary reform.
Mamdanis Audit of Terror: The True Cost of Policing to Communities of Color – A comprehensive, participatory audit to document the financial, social, and psychological impact of over-policing.
Insurance, Not Incarceration: A City Fund for Victims of Crime – Creating a robust, no-fault public insurance system to provide financial support and services to victims, decoupling healing from the punitive system.
Integrating Schools by Integrating Neighborhoods: Mamdanis Housing Link – Using fair housing and zoning policies to create diverse communities as the most sustainable path to diverse, equitable schools.
Integrating Special Education Fully into Every Classroom – Ending the segregation of students with disabilities and ensuring all classrooms are equipped and staffed for full inclusion.
Inter-Borough Exchange Programs: Fighting City-Sectionalism – Creating structured opportunities for New Yorkers to explore, understand, and connect with neighborhoods across borough lines.
Interfaith Space Sharing for Community Events – Encouraging and streamlining the shared use of religious buildings for secular neighborhood gatherings, fostering trust and resource efficiency.
Language Justice on the Block: City-Supported Translation for Community Meetings – Breaking down linguistic barriers to ensure all residents can fully participate in local civic life.
Mamdani on Sports as Civic Ritual, Not Corporate Entertainment – Reframing the role of professional sports teams as public trusts that should foster city identity and reinvest in communities.
Mamdani on the Crisis of Casual Contact and Its Political Cost – Diagnosing how the loss of informal interaction undermines trust, empathy, and collective political will.
Mamdani vs. The Gun Lobby: A Municipal Strategy for Disarmament – Using city purchasing power, zoning, and legal authority to combat gun violence and weaken the influence of firearms manufacturers.
Mamdani’s “Civic Sabbath”: A Provocative Idea for a Citywide Day of Connection – A monthly car-free, commerce-free day dedicated to neighborhood gatherings, play, and collective restoration.
Mamdani’s “Slow Neighborhood” Initiative: Traffic Calming for Socializing – Redesigning streets to prioritize human interaction over vehicle throughput, creating spaces for spontaneous connection.
From Quality of Life to Quality of Community Enforcement – Shifting enforcement focus from punishing minor annoyances to upholding standards of mutual respect and shared space care.
Funding Indigenous Cultural Revitalization – Dedicating city resources and land access to support the cultural practices, languages, and arts of Native American and Indigenous communities in NYC.
Grieving Together: City-Supported Spaces for Collective Loss – Creating public rituals and dedicated spaces for communities to mourn collective tragedies, from violence to displacement.
Guaranteed Income Pilot for Career Artists – A multi-year pilot providing a monthly, no-strings-attached stipend to a cohort of working artists to study its impact on creativity and stability.
Honoring Local Heroes: A Hyper-Local Recognition System – Creating civic rituals to celebrate the everyday contributors who make neighborhoods work.
Honoring the Mayors of the Block: Informal Leaders – A system to identify, support, and collaborate with the natural, unofficial leaders who hold neighborhood knowledge and trust.
From NIMBY to YIMBY to OURBY: A New Philosophy of Development – Shifting the development debate from opposition or blanket acceptance to community ownership and control.
From Online Groups to IRL Meets: City-Facilitated Gatherings – Actively helping digital community groups (parenting forums, hobbyists) hold their first in-person meetups in public spaces.
From Patrol Cars to Care Carts: Mobile Service Delivery – Replacing some marked police cruisers with mobile units staffed by social workers and nurses that bring services directly to where needs are.
From Security Cameras to Connection Cameras: Reframing Surveillance – A pilot program replacing punitive surveillance with technology designed to foster positive interaction and mutual aid.
From Suspicion to Synergy: Mamdani on Police-Free Community Interactions – Designing public systems where initial contact is with a helper, not an enforcer, to build trust and provide real support.
Ending No-Knock Warrants: A Mamdani Executive Order – Banning the NYPDs use of high-risk, unannounced raids that have led to tragic deaths and community terror.
