By Carol Tannenhauser
Democrat Zohran Mamdani’s win in Tuesday’s mayoral race came with considerable help from Upper West Side voters, 51 percent of whom supported him, compared with 46 percent for challenger Andrew Cuomo.
On a walk in Central Park Wednesday morning, West Side Rag spoke with more than a dozen voters. Some were celebrating the mayor-elect’s victory. Others expressed disappointment, even fear, while some took a “wait and see” attitude.
Here’s a sampling of what UWSers were saying the day after Mamdani’s victory; all agreed to offer candid views while declining to be photographed or identified by name.
“I guess I would say I’m cautiously optimistic, but unsure of how things will play out,” said a man in his 50s, walking a small dog. “I’m not sure that Mr. Mamdani will be able to achieve the things that he talked about doing in his campaign. But I’m excited to see what can be done. There’s a lot of needs in the city, and, hopefully, he’s bringing some fresh ideas, and he can figure out a way to compromise with people.”
Another dog walker, a 77-year-old woman with a small white dog, described herself as “delighted” with the outcome. “I’m delighted that Americans, not just in New York City, but everywhere, push back against the bigotry, the divisions, the undemocratic trends that have been so evident in our country for the last several years,” she said. “I think New York’s future is bright. I think we’re gonna be a magnet for every young family.”
A 29-year-old runner in the park stopped long enough to say, “I’m excited. I think it’s a really good sign for the city and national democratic politics as a whole. It’s nice to see people rallying behind someone more progressive.”
An accountant walking nearby told the Rag, “It wasn’t who I voted for, but I’m hopeful that I’m wrong and that it’s good for the city.”
“Wait and see” was a common post-election reaction among voters who were nervous about Mamdani. “I think his ideas are kind of extreme. I think we have to see how successful he actually will be in implementing them,” said a man in his late 30s. “If you want to help people to get more affordable housing and food, there’s nothing wrong with that. The question is, how are you going to balance it, you know, on a budget?”
“I think the challenge ahead of us is that the promises that Mr. Mamdani has made are ones he really can’t keep because they’re not in his control,” agreed an older man. “This is a populist response to some extent. Right? This is a younger crowd, very much interested in change and looking forward to it.”
Outside the park, heading on West 81st Street toward Columbus, a young couple confirmed that Mamdani’s promise of change was energizing for them.
“I feel really excited,” said the woman, 28. “Even all my friends have been talking about how it feels like a new energy and just like a triumphant story of starting at 1% and breaking the political barriers. And so, I feel very hopeful.”
Her partner, 31, said he shared the optimism but was “a little worried about [Mamdani’s] ties to the MTA and the lobbyist group, TransAlt [Transportation Alternatives]. But, other than that … I don’t know … I’m happy. Today is a happy day.”
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Here’s hoping Transit Alternatives has a lot of sway in this administration!
Why, you want more unregulated e-bikes and unregulated “bike” lanes, and more excuses about how someone with a bad knee should just ride a bike from the UWS to South Ferry in January?
Bike lobby definitely will. Mayor Mamdani is very connected to Transportation Alternatives-Open Streets-Streetsblog consortium.
Maybe they’ll get rid of buses to enable more Open Streets
Hello, bikes are great for the young (and elderly) fit people, but millions of people who are not need those buses!. They are far easier to navigate than endless subway staircases, except for the few stops that have elevators. Buses are agonizingly slow, for sure. But for the handicapped or for people who are very vulnerable and often fear subway crime, buses, with their accessibility for wheekchairs,lowered entrances for the people recovering from orthopedic surgery, strollers, and more, are often the only affordable options for getting around the city.
boooooo cars
Car owners are the biggest moochers. Free parking on public streets.
Actually the car owners pay for the streets while bikes contribute nothing to their maintenance and are a constant hazard.
How long has that been the rule? Since horse and buggy days? Yes, please introduce another way to tax my 1989 subaru.
These car freaks are secretly socialists lol
Bikes are the biggest moochers because they are very much tied to gentrification and displacement!
That’s great news!! Thank you
UWS Dad,
Buses are vital mass transit.
Open Streets that thwart/impede/hurt bus transit is not supporting mass transit.
Bus and subway must be the priority.
I agree, I was referring to malt’s assertion that Mayor Mamdani is very connected to Transportation Alternatives. Hopefully he will embark on massive expansion of bus lanes that were neglected under Adams to prioritize mass transit
… and the beat (of disagreement) goes on. I hope TA does not have a lot of sway. Bicycles on sidewalks all over the place, going through red lights esp. E-bikes, are a danger. And the idea of our taxes going to provide up to $1100 to people who want E-bikes is insane.
Overall, I am trying to be optimistic about Mamdani.
E bike riders are lawless
TA doesn’t support bikes not he sidewalks. TA is supporting legislation right now to to lower e-bike sales that go over 20mph. We need actual solutions to problems not knee jerk reactions that feel good in the moment but aren’t long term solutions.
If the new admin is as lax as the present one about enforcing requirements on bike riders, esp. E-bike riders, then we’ll have even more collisions between bikes and pedestrians. To quote yourself, we need actual solutions to problems. Problem: scofflaws on bikes. What’s your solution? I vote for enforcing the law, for starters. Maybe a Mamdani admin will do that. If so, good.
More bike infrastructure, fewer bikes on sidewalks. Duh.
Been hit by e bikes twice. Both times there was a bike lane. One chose to use the sidewalk for no good reason other than they do whatever the f they want the other decided slowing down for a red light and keeping an eye out for pedestrians was too difficult.
They should have no sway at all
…Why? People who live here want better public transportation and safer streets. Maybe that’s hard for someone who lives in Long Island to understand?
There are many people in NYC who want better public transportation but do not want urbanists imposing their vision of what urbanists think it should be. Safer streets, now do e-bikes. Also don’t assume I live on the “cultural” Long Island. People like me are why you guys struggle in non gentrified NYC. People like me are why you have folks like Virginia Maloney on the UES against congestion pricing too, and she won.
UWS Dad,
Transportation Alternatives focus is on bicycling – not public transit.
That Transportation Alternatives supports Open Streets even on bus routes which results in bus detours seems to me just one of many examples that TransAlt is not truly interested in public transit.
This is incorrect. It’s on alternatives to driving in NYC hence their focus on public transportation as well as bike transportation options.
Very exciting! Nice to see actual people being reasonable when interviewed vs. the constant fear mongering online. Lots to look forward too 🙂
its easy to not do constant “fear mongering’ when only saying what people want to hear…
Twitter, for example, is in a complete mess over this. Constant flows of hate and fear, wishing harm on our city because of this. Lots of sickos out there
The historic firsts of Tuesday’s
elections,
Democrats sweep major races as voters send Trump a message….
“We have four words for you, Donald Trump listen carefully…..”
“Turn up the volume‼️”
A Democrat got elected in a majority Democrat city…wow..earth shattering news.
I despise Trump but the headlines about sending a message are over-rated.
Mamdani doesn’t really send a message. He was running against a horrible candidate. And NYC is a total bubble that is not representative of the rest of the nation. Unfortunately, the leaders of the party are too dumb to figure that out so often try one-size-fits-all strategies that work in NYC that are awful for the rest of America. Because they refuse to leave the northeast.
The Republican in VA was truly awful. And the state is getting hit particularly hard by Trump’s stupidity.
Sherrill won, but not by a huge margin. NJ is normally Democrat anyway. It was good she didn’t lose, but no great message sent.
Sherrill won by 13%. That’s a sizeable margin, esp. given the neck-and-neck predictions coming from polls in the weeks before the election.
A Democrat won an election in a city dominated by Democrats. Wow that is amazing.
So cool, we elected a mayor just to piss off trump, we will accomplish great things like this, like we are in kindergarten
We elected this mayor for many reasons. Many of those reasons stem from an imperfect elections process in NYC that seems to thwart what many would consider democracy. Yes I know we are a representative republic.
thumb down
https://www.thefp.com/p/the-folly-of-affordability-politics?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Meanwhile, DJT threatens to cut federal funding to NYC in response to Mamdani’s victory. Apparently DJ attends a different kindergarten.
Wait till the National Guard sets up shop throughout NYC.
Sour grapes!✌️
Turn up the volume until people’s civil liberties get violated on the regular and those same progressives do not fight for them.
If you think I public transportation is expensive now just wait until it’s free.
Another brilliant proposal by Mamdani.
Yep. Free busses will be roving homeless shelters or worse. The only thing keeping some unsavory characters away at all is the small fare
I always thought it was because everyone has to get off the bus at the last stop.
Buses already are practically free.
not for everyone
Your parking is literally free.
The true cost of parking is rarely paid at a meter on the UWS and maybe it shouldn’t be
And what is the true cost of parking? As a car owner myself, I am very confused about this comment.
Free buses = Socialism, the end of New York
Free parking = A fundamental right
On Monday there were transit cops at 86 and Broadway monitoring that people were paying. The fact that they finally showed up the day before the election was likely not a coincidence. I saw people getting ticketed for not paying. They need to be a lot more present and visible – the fines they issue will easily cover their salaries and they will put the fear of God in people to actually pay.
Their cell phones must have been not working.
I mean, technically, ALL public transportation is free if you just jump the turnstile.
The subway is already “free”, because everyone hops the turnstile and it seems few people actually pay!
Not true! .. And meanwhile the trains .. AND especially the buses are SO crowded, it’s a nightmare.. And in so many cases, totally infrequent.. We need the transportation system to have a LOT MORE respect for the people who live in the City of NY!!
YES!!!
TURN UP THE VOLUME!!!
!
New York City, obviously is a country in itself and should be separated from the union.
Gentrified NYC and Manhattan is not and will never be West Berlin as much as certain people want it to be
I spent some time in West Berlin in 85. That place was a total riot. I loved it. No where near the same now. Family there going back hundreds of years. Not comparable in any way to NYC.
The wall that some people want around gentrified NYC is comparable.
So your looking for an East Berlin vibe?
As much as certain people want for there to be a wall around gentrified NYC, it is not happening.
We just need to add another congestion pricing line and they will move out apparently.
Long live the Free City of Tri-Insula!
I’m just glad people got out and voted. Apathy is one of the biggest threats to democracy.
Yes, it’s good that almost twice the percentage of the electorate voted compared to usual mayoral elections. This time, what, 42% of registered voters voted, or thereabouts? I never understand why so many eligible voters don’t vote. They think it makes no difference? Do they then complain about what govt does? Still, I’m glad that c. 2 million voted.
I believe NY is a city that harbors an unexpected /massive number of older /retired people who no doubt don’t use the transit system on a daily basis… Though when we do attempt to catch buses on the ‘Far West Side’ of New York … Fergedaboudit! Hopeless / forever wait / no subways: and buses that come sparingly . Sad.
But we vote!
As is socialism……
“Indifference to Injustice is the Gate to Hell.”
Here! Here!
West 80 street doesn’t seem to be a very welcoming place
Democrats Start Their Comeback
A warning for the GOP from New York, New Jersey and Virginia and California on affordability and Trump’s unpopularity.
“The era of MAGA triumphalism should be over.”
The affordability crisis lies entirely at the feet of Biden and his clowns, who printed money like there’s no tomorrow. Inflation is a monetary phenomenon.
Right, because destabilization and gentrification only took place during the Biden years..
NYC housing was famously cheap before Joe Biden, it’s true.
UWSers may be celebrating but now he’s the face of the democrat party. In a year when he’s reduced the city to a shambles and people see how this political party affects society, the midterms will be a major blow-out for the party of Trump. This election may have a silver lining after all – not for the people of NYC but for the rest of the country and our nation in general.
WAit and see.
His ideas are “kind of extreme”? Huh? I wish people who make statements like that would be prodded to elaborate. I can’t think of a single one of Mamdani’s proposed ideas that I would term extreme. 5 grocery stores run by the city? Free buses and subsidized childcare? This is barely anything.
Rent for the average grocery store 142 dollars a SF. And everyone making 30 dollars an hour. Who will pay for this? The rich wont they know how to shield their money. Large stores have a 24 million dollar a year in operating cost. Times 5- 125 million a year not including losses on food being discounted.
So pay for it yourself. It’s barely anything.
I meant barely anything in terms of proposed policies. Thought that was obvious.
Would be better off paid to snap cards instead of paying it to the billionaire that owns the building.
As long as Republicans are in power, federally, SNAP is not safe, as the current shutdown clearly illustrates. Plus, not everyone is eligible for SNAP. A discounted grocery store is a good compromise.
And again, we’re talking about five (5) in the entire city.
But congestion pricing is safer than snap is.
Anyone familiar with how the city works knows Mamdani has the city council, state legislature and Hochul to get big changes passed. It’s been the same for all mayors. The difference with Mamdani is he’s untouched by corporate greed and foreign influence. New Yorkers see that he is putting New York City first. I’d rather the new guy with little experience over the old guy with the kind of experience we need less of.
He is untouched by foreign influence? He has been referred to the DOJ for taking foreign campaign contributions.
and he’s a heck of a rapper!!
Why does he always look in pain when he smiles?
Good to read what the people said!!
New York’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has condemned an attack on a Jewish school in Brooklyn, where a red swastika was painted a day after the Democrat clinched the historic victory. In a message of unity, Mamdani called the act of vandalism “disgusting and heartbreaking” and said antisemitism has no place in the United States’s largest city.
“This is a disgusting and heartbreaking act of antisemitism, and it has no place in our beautiful city. As Mayor, I will always stand steadfast with our Jewish neighbours to root the scourge of antisemitism out of our city,” Mamdani wrote on the social platform X, reacting to a post about the act of vandalism at Jewish Day School.
New York City is home to the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel.
According to New York police, they received a 911 call after school staff found the hateful ‘swastika’ symbols painted in red on the pillars and windows of Magen David Yeshiva on McDonald Avenue near Avenue S in Gravesend on Wednesday. The suspect behind the vandalism is still on the loose.
Sorry. I don’t buy his comment. Just look at his past. Don’t bother to talk about Trump here. This is about your new mayor. I loved my UWS. I grew up here in the 50s-late 70s.
I can not in good conscience, believe anything he says. Just look at the things he’s said in the past.
And, being still I hope, a free country, this is only MY opinion.
You can disagree with me all you want. They’re words here.
I hope for better things in the city, so yeah, we will wait and see.
I agree! Zohran is the best friend a Jew ever had.
People are so “excited” to react to the guy in the white house that they elected his mirror image.
I just don’t understand how a man who has never held an Executive position is going to run the most important city in the world. Its a tragedy that this great city could not have fielded better candidates.
Maybe because this great city hasn’t been that great lately.
I will be watching the crime statistics closely. With defunding and cutting police, bail reform, cashless bail, releasing repeat offenders, etc. crime has zoomed.
The NYPD budget has seen yearly increases. They were never defunded.
If you actually followed crime stats, you’d see that crime has actually been declining over the last two years.
wrong. citizens don’t bother reporting crimes anymore and the police don’t want to write them up either since they know the perpetrators will be immediately released.
If you think crime has zoomed, you need to watch the crime statistic a little closer. The liberal democrats running New York City continue to crush crime while conservatives ignore reality.
https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/news/pr017/nypd-record-low-shooting-incidents-shooting-victims-the-first-ten-months-the
Josh P.
Different things can be true at the same time.
Yes per data, NYC is safer than in past periods..
And some neighborhoods are “safe” and some are not.
But there is also the issue of unreported crime and also concerning incidents that can’t really be reported.
Like walking past a person who is using drugs out in the open in a park. Or being on the subway as a menacing person comes into the car. Or watching a person shoplift without trying to hide it….
Yes, but unreported crime also existed 5, 10, 20 and 30 years ago. I think if anything unreported crime would have been even higher in previous years than it is now – now that crime is lower people are more likely to report smaller crimes when overall crime is lower. This massive focus on shoplifting is a symptom of our success on crime – people have always shoplifted, it’s just now there are many fewer serious crimes so it’s something we can actually focus on. People weren’t complaining about shoplifting in the 80s because the murder rate was 10x what it is today.
Zohran wont get his tax money from upstate so we will have 4 years of nothing other then daily protest and riots.
Having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that New Yorkers voted for a 34 year old with no experience running anything and has expressed extreme anti Israel sentiments.
Which anti-Israel sentiments are you referring to exactly? That Muslims in Israel should have equal rights? Or that the UN has found Israel is committing genocide?
Israel has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, UN Commission finds (16 September 2025)
GENEVA – Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel said in a new report today. The Commission urges Israel and all States to fulfil their legal obligations under international law to end the genocide and punish those responsible for it.
As a fellow UWS Jew who did not vote for him and did everything I could to rally the troops, I agree! Huge backwards step for us as a community.
It’s a new era. Young people and progressives view hostility toward Israel as a sign of moral enlightenment. I think it’s a sign of something else, but afraid to say it lest the moderator deletes my comment again. It rhymes with anti-separatism. 🙂
Lots of us voted for Mamdani because of Gaza,
Is that you Linda Sarsour🤣
Strange comment What can a mayor of a city do about Gaza…a mayor has zero influence on a country’s international policy.
It’s the only outlet they had. Also, so many outlandish allegations and hyperbole were thrown about based on people’s thoughts and feelings that the charges were all dismissed en mass. Maybe he said things that were a hair less than neutral but that’s free speech. When people respond with 500 word tweets and put millions towards the former governor it just makes it worse.
so his stance on Gaza is the reason you voted for him to be the chief executive of NYC?
Will be interesting to see how Hochul deals with this. I think the DSA may primary her next year.
Not only younger folks voted for him.
I’m old as dirt, and I voted for him! I believe that as soon a one achieves success in this country they become the enemy. Tax the rich!
Just another “Tax The Rich” politician with little regard to quality-of-life laws. It’s Blazz all over again, only even more anti-police.
I didn’t support Mamdani. But I suspect he’ll be more honest than de Blaz. de Blaz threw many bones to real estate developers and lobbyists, and pushed a big deal for his wife to manage to zero results. So far I’m getting a bigger honesty vibe out of Mamdani.
I’m so excited to receive the free stuff! As a lifelong Democrat and Jew, I believe the key to the success of a city is to tax the rich and give away as much free stuff to those who cannot afford it (or just don’t want to work for it).
The Rag keeps trying to silence the educated. I will be smiling as the city falls apart. I have a golden parachute in The Caymans
I’m truly flummoxed by the outpouring of UWS support for a guy who has no credible experience and will say literally anything expedient to get elected. He is not good for honest taxpayers, and he is not good for our Jewish neighbors. Mamdani and the people who elected him clearly have zero understanding of how things work or get funded
Seems like a cult is forming. So much fawning over someone who hasn’t even started.
MAGA has their cult leader. Now the left has theirs.
This:
https://babylonbee.com/news/new-yorks-elderly-jews-torn-between-man-who-would-kill-them-for-being-jewish-and-man-who-would-kill-them-for-being-elderly
Just came back from my morning run to Trader Joe’s. The security guard caught a shop lifter and got into an altercation with her. She left for a few minutes but then came back for “revenge”, armed with a knife/razor. There will probably be a post about it here in the next few days.
My point is, situations like this are only going to get worse with Mamdani. He thinks there’s too many police officers in the city, and the laws will never change to protect the public. Liberalist like him care more about protecting the rights of criminals. And no, I’m not a Republican or Democrat, I’m with the “common sense” party.