Gains and Pains

Good morning from New York City, where late last week Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin reached an agreement on a $125.8 billion Fiscal Year 2027 Budget.

Most notably, the budget is balanced and even adds $350 million to New York City’s General Reserve, after much hand-wringing earlier in the year by Mamdani and his allies over the need to raise income or property taxes to achieve a balanced budget. The Council was successful in pressuring Mamdani to increase funding for a popular rental assistance voucher program, known as CityFHEPS, to the tune of $175 million in FY2027. New Yorkers living at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level will now be eligible for the Fair Fares program, providing half-priced bus and subway fares for nearly 1.3 million residents. Mamdani described an expansion of the program as one of the stops on the route to universal free buses, saying, “We raise this Fair Fares eligibility to a historic amount, and we also do so while being fully committed to delivering buses that are not only fast, but also free. That is part of our medium-term vision, our long-term vision… We can believe and fight for all of these things at the same time.”

Mamdani also received pointed criticism from NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch after pivoting away from his own proposal to add 580 officers to the NYPD. Talking to reporters, Tisch doubled down, “I believe we need to be adding police officers. We now have a police force that is less than on 9/11, yet the City has grown substantially. The NYPD has successfully thwarted over 50 terrorist attacks… We are also seeing an increase in rapes and felony assaults and subway crimes, so this is of concern to me.” Outside budget, a recommendation from the Quadrennial Advisory Commission to give New York City lawmakers a pay raise remains under consideration. If approved, the mayor would make $305,800 instead of the current $258,750; City Council members would get $175,500, up from their current $148,500 salary; and City Council Speaker Julie Menin would make $194,400 instead of the current $164,500. However, both Mamdani and Menin said they would not accept pay increases this term. Certainly, a pay raise would not mesh well with the public’s anti-establishment, anti-incumbent sentiment.

In political news, Mo Brown was officially declared the winner over incumbent Bill Magnarelli in the Democratic Primary contest for New York’s 129th Assembly District. On election night, Brown led by a mere 82 votes, but has seen his lead grow to 105 after the Onondaga County Board of Elections counted mail-in and affidavit ballots last week. Magnarelli has held the seat for 28 years and served as the Assembly Transportation Chair for the last 8 years. In a statement, Magnarelli said, “It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the people of Central New York in both the Syracuse Common Council and the NYS Assembly for over 30 years. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. I congratulate Mo Brown on his win and wish him the best of luck. I want to once again thank all of my constituents who have supported me through the years. I am grateful to you all.” Magnarelli embodied the best in public service and will be missed in Syracuse and across New York. Brown, a former Army reservist and County Legislator, will become the 16th member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in the state legislature when they gavel in for the year in January. Brown was a guest on From the Lobby with Jack O’Donnell in 2024 after winning a seat on the Onondaga County Legislature. Listen to the conversation here! 

The enthusiasm for—and success of—the DSA is not limited to the Empire State, as shown by last week’s primary results in Colorado. Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros defeated 15-term Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette on Tuesday, marking one of the largest upsets for the insurgent Left this primary season.

The Kiros campaign enjoyed major outside support from national progressive figures such as Senator Bernie Sanders and the Working Families Party. DeGette, a longtime progressive who served as one of the House impeachment managers against President Donald Trump in his first term, secured progressive endorsements of her own from Rep. Pramila Jayapal and Rep. Jamie Raskin, but in the end, it was not enough to overcome the wave of anti-establishment and anti-incumbent sentiment that has come to define this Primary cycle.

Kiros and her fellow Progressive Democrats could spell trouble for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ plan to become Speaker of the House should Democrats win a majority in the Lower Chamber this November, with Kiros offering, “If the day comes to vote and he continues taking corporate PAC money, I won’t be voting for him.” 

The United States Supreme Court released decisions in a number of high-profile cases last week, including a challenge by the Trump administration to the Constitutionality of birthright citizenship as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. In a 6-3 decision, the Court affirmed birthright citizenship and ruled against Trump's Day One Executive Order that sought to bar citizenship for children born in the U.S. to parents who either entered the country illegally or are living and working here legally with temporary visas. In the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights—to freely participate in our political community. The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to 'every free-born person in this land. We keep that promise today.”

The decision was a major blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape federal immigration policies, and was celebrated by Democrats as a proper check on Executive power by a coequal branch of government. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul offered on social media, “As the granddaughter of Irish immigrants, I am heartened to see the Supreme Court's decision rejecting the Trump administration's cruel attack on birthright citizenship. For generations, immigrants have come to New York in search of freedom and opportunity, helping build the strongest, most vibrant state in the nation. The Statue of Liberty stands proudly in our harbor, and New York will always stand with those seeking the promise of America.” 

The Supreme Court also upheld a Mississippi law that allows mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day, but received up to five days later to be counted. In the 5-4 ruling, Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote, “The election-day statutes require the electorate's choice to be made on election day. That occurs so long as election day is the deadline for individuals to vote—as it is in Mississippi. But the election-day statutes do not set a deadline for ballot receipt, so they do not prevent Mississippi from counting ballots postmarked before election day yet received afterward.” The Republican National Committee filed the original lawsuit challenging the ballot grace periods that currently exist in 18 states and territories, including California, Illinois, New York, and GOP-led Mississippi. New York Attorney General Letitia James applauded the Supreme Court’s decision, sharing, “We are stronger as a nation when more people vote. The Supreme Court has upheld this in principle, but it is up to us to make it a reality. Go out, vote, and make your voice heard. My office will never stop fighting to protect your right to do so.” 

In honor of Independence Day, it’s worth pointing out that George Washington has returned to the New York State Capitol.

Good luck to Team USA who faces off against Belgium later today!

 -Jack O’Donnell

OD&A's Ralph Ortega joins Monica Morales on PIX11's Monica Makes It Happen, representing OD&A client, the Fund for the City of New York, to spotlight the Sloan Public Service Awards and the extraordinary New Yorkers who make a difference every day.

Watch as Monica sits down with Ralph and Danielle Keane, Principal of PS 5 Port Morris School of Community Leadership in the Bronx and one of this year's Sloan Public Service Award recipients. Danielle shares her inspiring journey in education, her unwavering commitment to students and families, and the lasting impact of public service leadership.

Established in 1973, the Sloan Public Service Awards recognize six exceptional public servants each year with $10,000 awards honoring their outstanding service to New Yorkers.