To the Editor:
Re “Welcome to the Mamdani Era,” by Kim Phillips-Fein (Opinion guest essay, Jan. 1):
While I did not vote for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, despite my lack of enthusiasm for his competitors, it was in no way related to a belief that he was “a radical, a foreigner” or an “outsider to the city and its politics.”
While I knew nothing about him before his campaign, he appeared intelligent, articulate and personable. While his views on international policy, particularly with regard to the Middle East, were not in sync with mine, I was, and am, more concerned with his qualifications and experience and his ability to manage the vast responsibility of running New York City.
Some of his more aspirational goals — like free child care and bus service — may be unattainable but they are based on real needs. And like most New Yorkers, now that he is in office, I want him to be successful. In that vein, I have been breathing sighs of relief as the new mayor has announced his appointments.
His first deputy, Dean Fuleihan, is a seasoned, extremely competent appointee and, on a personal level, someone with whom I worked many years ago when I was counsel to the speaker of the State Assembly and he was a high-ranking member of the fiscal staff. The mayor’s decisions to retain the police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, and to appoint Steven Banks as corporation counsel are laudable as well.
Mr. Mamdani should now be supported in his efforts going forward to manage and improve our city. If his staffing choices to date are a prelude to how he’ll approach his mayoralty, I say, “So far, so good.”
Jay Adolf New York
To the Editor:
Re “Taking Oath, Mamdani Vows to Lead ‘Audaciously’” (front page, Jan. 2):
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s inaugural speech is most notable for its glaring omissions.
He declared that “we will deliver universal child care for the many by taxing the wealthiest few.” But he failed to acknowledge that the “wealthiest few” — the top 1 percent — already pay more than 40 percent of all personal income taxes the city collects.
He declared, “Those in rent-stabilized homes will no longer dread the latest rent hike, because we will freeze the rent.” But he failed to acknowledge that his rent freeze would deliver a serious blow to the small landlords already struggling to get by, and will likely discourage the construction of the additional housing units the city so desperately needs.
And he praised two of New York’s failed mayors of the past — David Dinkins and Bill de Blasio — while not uttering a word about one widely recognized as the most successful in recent history, Michael Bloomberg.
Kenneth A. Margolis Chappaqua, N.Y.
To the Editor:
In his stirring inaugural speech, Mayor Mamdani stated: “I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.”
Having been deemed radical myself during the protest movements of the 1960s and ’70s, I believe that the term has never been one to fear. It comes from the Latin word for “root” and implies getting at the root of a problem and developing fundamental solutions. It also connotes bold changes that depart from traditional policies that have failed to get meaningful results.
Mr. Mamdani’s embrace of a radical approach to governing New York City is exactly what we need to achieve his transformative goal of a city that is truly affordable for all.
William J. Arnone New York
Goodbye, Kennedy Center
To the Editor:
Re “New Year’s Eve Concerts at the Kennedy Center Are Canceled” (Arts, Dec. 31):
We have had season tickets for the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center for over 30 years, but when the board of trustees violated the law by adding the Trump name to the Kennedy Center, we had to tell the Kennedy Center we would no longer attend events there.
We stand with Chuck Redd, the Cookers and many others who canceled performances there. We also strongly support the National Symphony, will badly miss its concerts and have every hope that it will outlast the sycophants on the board who are damaging the arts and driving away audiences.
Musicians and performers need freedom, not obeisance to power. In fact, we all do.
Deborah Weinstein Mark Weinstein Bethesda, Md.
Resisting Despotism
To the Editor:
Re “The Trump Resistance Is Getting Stronger,” by Michelle Goldberg (column, Dec. 28):
Ms. Goldberg’s insightful column brings to mind Thomas Paine’s words in “Rights of Man”: “The strength and powers of despotism consist wholly in the fear of resisting it.”
It is encouraging that Americans are once again actively resisting monarchy in favor of democracy that we fought so hard to achieve.
Sue Casey Amherst, Mass.
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