After repeatedly refusing to reveal his position on the proposals, Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday that he voted in favor of the controversial housing ballot measures.
Mamdani, before voting on Tuesday morning, confirmed that he planned to vote yes on the four housing ballot measures. City Council leaders and some of the city’s most powerful labor unions oppose three of those measures, which create faster approval processes for certain housing projects that bypass City Council review and an appeals board that could reverse the Council’s rejection of projects.
Later in the morning, he told WNYC’s Brian Lehrer that the urgent need for more housing in the city guided his decision. He also, however, said he understood City Council’s opposition to the measures, noting that they were guided by dedication to their communities. City Council leadership has said that the ballot measures would rob members of their ability to demand investments in their communities as a condition of rezonings.
During the final mayoral debate, Mamdani said he had not yet taken a position on the measures, a refrain he repeated in the lead-up to the election.
When asked Tuesday if he held off on announcing how he would vote to avoid alienating voters, Mamdani told Lehrer the timing reflected his desire to be “intentional” in deciding how to vote. He said he wanted to speak to various stakeholders and only announced his position once he made up his mind.
Still, by holding off on voicing his support, Mamdani delayed drawing the ire of two unions that endorsed him, as well as City Council members he will need to work with if elected mayor.
Two unions that endorsed Mamdani, 32BJ SEIU and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, opposed the ballot measures, fearing that they would remove the City Council’s ability to ensure union labor is hired on housing projects. A representative for HTC declined to comment, and a representative for 32BJ did not return a message seeking comment.
The City Council sent out ads warning voters that because of the ballot measures, their “neighborhood essentials are at stake.”
While Democratic leaders in the Council presented a united front against the measures in the lead-up to the election, some City Council members have posted on social media that they support the changes.
“Ballot proposals 2-5 are good,” Manhattan Council member Shaun Abreu posted on his Instagram story Tuesday morning, referring to the housing ballot questions. “They hold more of your representatives accountable and make our growing city less hostile to the concept of more housing. That’s why I voted yes.”
Manhattan Council member Erik Bottcher posted on Instagram that he voted in favor of the measures. Brooklyn Council member Shahana Hanif reposted about Mamdani voting yes on the measures, adding a saluting emoji.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, supports the measures. Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa opposes the changes and told Lehrer on Tuesday that in supporting the measures, the other candidates are “helping developers and realtors.”
Amit Singh Bagga, who leads Yes on Affordable Housing, a campaign that has spent more than $1 million to promote the measures, also voiced support for Mamadani Tuesday morning, saying that a vote for both Mamdani and the ballot measures will “change the course of our city’s future.”
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