Howard Kopel: In Zohran Mamdani, we clearly see the choices we face

Anyone paying even casual attention knows about the shocking upset win by Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral primary. As the Democratic nominee in a race with four candidates, including minor party contenders, he could win with just a plurality of the votes. Current polling suggests he may be able to do just that, giving him a better-than-even chance of becoming New York’s next mayor.

But why should we care? After all, most of us don’t live or vote in New York City. It’s a fair question. The answer is that Mamdani’s agenda is one of the most radical ever advanced by a major-party candidate in city politics. It has the potential to affect and reshape the entire metro region, including our communities here on Long Island. Here’s how.

1. Mamdani wants to freeze rents on about half of city apartments. This follows years of increasingly restrictive rent laws from Albany, which have already led to tens of thousands of units being removed from the rental market. Many landlords who are unable to afford code-compliant renovations for new tenants have simply left apartments vacant.

A rent freeze would worsen this trend, making it financially impossible to build or maintain rental housing. Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck famously remarked that “rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city — except for bombing.” The resulting housing shortage would push demand into the suburbs, likely triggering renewed efforts by the state to override local zoning laws and force denser development in our towns.

2. Mamdani’s proposed taxes on the “rich” will drive out high earners, who, as history shows, often leave the city when taxes rise. Many of them move to surrounding suburbs — bringing housing competition and school enrollment spikes with them. Worse, their departure would shrink the city’s tax base, triggering budget gaps that Albany might try to fill at the expense of fiscally responsible counties like Nassau.
3. Mamdani’s plan for “free” bus service would blow a hole in the already strained Metropolitan Transportation Authority budget. The MTA oversees the entire regional transit network, including the Long Island Rail Road. If revenue dries up, expect reduced service, fewer upgrades, deferred maintenance and higher fares for Long Island commuters.
4. Mamdani has a long record of hostility toward law enforcement. New York City police officials have already warned that officer departures could accelerate if he takes office. A diminished police force would likely lead to rising crime in the city — and as history has shown, crime does not respect borders. Nassau communities near the Queens line are particularly vulnerable to spillover effects.
5. Mamdani has come under frequent criticism for comments widely viewed as antisemitic. This should raise red flags for everyone in this region. In an area like ours, home to one of the largest Jewish populations outside Israel, it is particularly dangerous. When someone in a position of power uses their platform to promote anti-Israel rhetoric — or worse, downplay rising antisemitism — it sends a dangerous message. That message risks normalizing hate, particularly among young people exposed to one-sided activism in schools and universities.

These are just a selection of Mamdani’s radical proposals. There are, of course, additional ideas that make little or no sense. The common denominator is that they come from a person that has little or no work experience outside politics, and whose ideas are ideologically driven, without regard to real-world experience and common sense.

No, we can’t vote in the New York City election, but we’re not powerless, either. We can call our friends and relatives in the city and ask them to consider the stakes. But more important, here at home, we have elections in November. Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman, and a Republican majority in the Legislature, have taken many effective steps to shield Nassau from the excesses afflicting some of our neighbors.

Will you vote to continue this critical record of responsible leadership, or take a chance on new, inexperienced candidates whose loyalties lie with the same party that has now nominated Zohran Mamdani as its standard-bearer in the state’s largest city?

Think hard and choose wisely.

Howard Kopel represents Nassau County’s 7th Legislative District and is the Legislature’s presiding officer.