Austin Berg: Zohran Mamdani just taught Chicago a lesson New York learned the hard way
New York's Democratic primary for mayor last week drew more attention from Chicagoans than any local election beyond our borders in recent memory.
State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, surged to victory on a platform of expansive public spending, free bus service, strict rent controls and aggressive tax hikes. It was the kind of ideological agenda Chicago voters may recognize from our own 2023 mayoral election.
But there is a key difference. In New York, the whims and ideology of one leader — regardless of where they lie on the political spectrum — are hemmed in by structure.
Over the last 50 years, New York has been on a journey to fundamentally change the way it governs. That journey began after the city teetered on the edge of bankruptcy in 1975, when banks, fed up with years of budgetary deception, stopped lending to the city. Desperate for help, local leaders begged Washington for a bailout. President Gerald Ford refused. The next day's headline in the New York Daily News read: 'Ford to City: Drop Dead.'
The new documentary 'Drop Dead City,' screening Tuesday at the Chicago History Museum, recounts this harrowing chapter. Layoffs surged. Unions staged loud protests, unaware of how dire the situation had become. Private solutions failed. And New York was forced to face a brutal truth: Its fiscal crisis was a governance crisis.
Help eventually came — from the state of New York, not the federal government. But it came with strings. The state imposed a Financial Control Board and mandated the use of generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. These constraints permanently changed how the city budgeted. Later reforms, including the creation of an Independent Budget Office, reinforced those guardrails with ongoing, nonpartisan oversight.
It's far from perfect. But today, New York City still lives within that system. Its charter requires GAAP budgeting. It cannot count borrowing as revenue, cannot hide liabilities through delayed payments and cannot treat one-time windfalls as recurring income. Its mayor cannot singlehandedly reroute city finances without professional scrutiny.
Chicago has none of this.
We are the only major city in the nation without a charter. Our mayor can delay payments to create the illusion of balance, refinance debt to shift burdens to future administrations and use temporary federal grants to paper over permanent obligations. A sales tax-backed debt structure known as 'securitization' — used in the depths of New York's 1975 collapse — has become routine here. In fact, Chicago's sales tax bonds now eclipse its general obligation bonds.
Kam Buckner: A city charter is the reform Chicago actually needs, not recall powersThe late civic leader Richard Ravitch, central to New York's turnaround, called out the exact tricks that remain standard practice in Chicago. At his urging, New York banned those gimmicks in law. Chicago has institutionalized them in custom.
The consequences are mounting. The city faces a projected $1.2 billion shortfall in 2026. Its pension systems carry more than $30 billion in unfunded liabilities. And there is no independent body with the legal mandate or political backing to stop the bleeding.
New York nearly died before reforming the machinery of its own government. The lesson of 1975 was that strong institutions, not personalities, keep a city afloat. The lesson of 2025 is that Chicago has no such institutions.
Let's not wait for our 'Drop Dead' moment to build them.Austin Berg is executive director of the Chicago Policy Center at the Illinois Policy Institute and co-author of 'The New Chicago Way: Lessons from Other Big Cities.'
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The Hill
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Democrats accuse GOP of nuking Senate rules to pass Trump megabill
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The Hill
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Trump's Iran strikes threaten to roil elections in Michigan
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'The races next year should be really interesting, because in some ways, they're going to be a referendum on some of the key questions of who the Democratic Party is and who it will become,' said Abbas Alawieh, a senior Democratic strategist who was one of the leaders of the Uncommitted Movement last year, which sought to pressure then-President Biden over his stance on the war in Gaza. That conflict became a flashpoint during the 2024 election, nowhere more so than in Michigan, which has a Jewish population of more than 100,000 while the Arab and Muslim American population is estimated to be about several hundred thousand in the state. 'The Middle Eastern vote, the Muslim vote in particular, has been moving slightly to the right over the last couple of elections and clearly Trump capitalized on it,' said Jason Cabel Roe, a Michigan-based Republican strategist. 'It remains to be seen that Muslim Americans, while they might not love Israel and may even hate Israel, they don't necessarily love Iran,' he added. 'And I do think that everyone recognizes that Iran has been for nearly 50 years the primary disruptive force in the region.' The Uncommitted Movement — in which Arab, Muslim and progressive voters urged Democrats to vote 'uncommitted' in the primary against Biden — notably started out in the Midwestern state, and then later spread across the country, in reaction to the war. After replacing Biden on the ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris lost the state by more than 1 point, fairing only better in Wisconsin among the seven battleground states. The Arab and Muslim 'community here in Michigan … can no longer be taken for granted as just lining up with the Democratic candidate,' Alawieh said. 'I think Democrats are going to have to work harder for that vote.' The Trump administration's decision to bomb several nuclear facilities in Iran last week has only magnified the issue heading into 2026, with Trump on Friday leaving open the possibility to further strikes. Some members of Michigan's Arab and Muslim communities who spoke with The Hill believe that conflict could impact key elections or be an important issue next year again, particularly in the Senate race. The Democratic primary has positioned Rep. Haley Stevens (Mich.), a pro-Israel Democrat who's previously received backing from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), against state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed. Stevens noted the need for congressional approval for the strikes and demanded that the administration brief Congress on the matter. 'Like most Michiganders, I believe the last thing our country needs is to be involved in another foreign war,' Stevens said. 'I intend to use my power as a member of Congress to ensure that this president and this administration do not continue to abuse the system of checks and balances we have in this country.' McMorrow said in her own statement following the strikes that the U.S. 'cannot be dragged back into a forever war.' 'The U.S. could have prevented Iran from developing a nuclear weapon through diplomacy. Trump's actions have now put U.S. troops in danger and made us all less safe,' McMorrow said. In an interview with The Hill, El-Sayed equated the issue of foreign intervention to affordability. 'You don't have to be from the Middle East, you have to be from Michigan to know that this is a waste of taxpayer dollars,' El-Sayed said. 'This seems totally removed from the affordability crisis that they're living through. It doesn't increase the access that they have to affordable groceries or reduce the price of eggs.' 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In addition to the Senate race, Alawieh suggested the issue could play out in the primary for Stevens's House seat, Rep. John James's (R-Mich.) seat and in the Democratic primary between Rep. Shri Thanedar (Mich.) and state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who's backed by progressives. 'Very important,' said Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, when asked how candidates' positions on the military intervention in Iran and the broader global conflict would affect how he votes next year. 'Because, remember, we are a community that has relatives overseas.' At the same time, Siblani — who declined to endorse Trump or Harris last cycle — noted domestic issues were also extremely important to him. Why are Trump and Republicans 'doing what they're doing in the … campuses, arresting people, deporting them, not giving them the due process?' Siblani asked. 'The country that I came to in 1976 is not the same country that I live in today,' he added. 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He suggested what would motivate voters would be anticipated cuts to Medicaid from Trump's megabill and tax cuts that wealthy Americans would benefit off of. Rogers noted that if the conflict were to break down into a broader war and enflame other parts of the Middle East 'then it becomes something very different.' But the Michigan Republican is betting most voters will side with Trump over the issue when it's over. 'I just don't see it happening,' he said. 'I think this is going to be a huge positive.'
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
How Democrats in America's most Jewish city embraced a critic of Israel for New York mayor
NEW YORK — In choosing Zohran Mamdani as their candidate for mayor, Democrats in America's most Jewish city have nominated an outspoken critic of Israel, alarming some in New York's Jewish community and signaling a sea change in the priorities of one of the party's most loyal voting groups. The 33-year-old democratic socialist's surprisingly strong performance against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo makes clear that taking a stance against Israel is no longer disqualifying in a Democratic primary. The state Assembly member has declined to support the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state, refused to denounce the term 'global intifada' and supports an organized effort to put economic pressure on Israel through boycotts and other tactics. Yet he excelled in the city with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, and with the support of many Jewish voters. Mamdani's success reflects the ideological realignment of many American Jews since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel that led to Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip. Many Democratic voters, including Jews, have grown dismayed by Israel's conduct in the war and are deeply critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That is especially true among younger, more progressive voters, many of whom have rejected the once-broadly accepted notion that anti-Israel sentiment is inherently antisemitic. For others, Mamdani's showing has spurred new fears about safety and the waning influence of Jewish voters in a city where anti-Jewish hate crime has surged. Last year, Jews were the target of more than half of the hate crimes in the city. 'Definitely people are concerned,' said Rabbi Shimon Hecht, of Congregation B'nai Jacob in Brooklyn, who said he has heard from congregants in recent days who hope Mamdani will be defeated in the November general election, where he will face Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and possibly Cuomo if he stays in the race. 'I think like every upsetting election, it's a wake-up call for people,' Hecht said. 'I strongly believe that he will not be elected as our next mayor, but it's going to take a lot of uniting among the Jewish people and others who are concerned about these issues. We have to unify.' Veteran New York Democratic political strategist Hank Sheinkopf put it more bluntly, predicting a hasty exodus of religious Jews from the city and a decline in long-standing Jewish influence that would be replicated elsewhere. 'It's the end of Jewish New York as we know it,' he said, adding: 'New York is a petri dish for national Democratic politics. And what happened here is what will likely happen in cities across the country.' Mamdani's top Democratic rival, the former governor, had called antisemitism and support for Israel 'the most important issue' of the campaign. Mamdani's backers repeatedly accused Cuomo of trying to weaponize the issue. Many drew parallels to the way President Trump has cast any criticism of Israel's actions as antisemitic, claiming Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their own religion. For some Mamdani supporters, the election results signaled a rejection by voters of one of Cuomo's arguments: that an upstart socialist with pro-Palestinian views posed a threat to New York's Jewish community. Many were focused on issues such as affordability in a notoriously expensive city, or were flat-out opposed to Cuomo, who was forced to resign amid sexual harassment allegations. Aiyana Leong Knauer, a 35-year-old Brooklyn bartender who is Jewish and backed Mamdani, said the vote represented 'New Yorkers, many of them Jewish, saying we care more about having an affordable city than sowing division.' 'Many of us take really deep offense to our history being weaponized against us,' she said. 'Jewish people all over the world have well-founded fears for their safety, but Jews in New York are safe overall.' Others agreed with Mamdani's views on Israel. Beth Miller, political director of Jewish Voice for Peace Action, a progressive anti-Zionist group that worked on Mamdani's behalf, said the candidate 'was actually pretty popular among a lot of Jewish voters.' 'That is not in spite of his support for Palestinian rights. That is because of his support for Palestinian rights,' she said. 'There has been a massive rupture within the Jewish community, and more and more Jews of all generations, but especially younger generations,' now refuse to be tied to what they see as a rogue government committing atrocities against civilians, she said. Polls show support for Israel has declined since the war began. Overall, a slight majority of Americans now express a 'somewhat' or 'very' unfavorable opinion of Israel, according to a March Pew Research Center poll, compared with 42% in 2022. Democrats' views are particularly negative, with nearly 70% holding an unfavorable opinion versus less than 40% of Republicans. Mamdani's wasn't the only race where Israel was on voters' minds. In Brooklyn, City Councilwoman Shahana Hanif, who represents Park Slope and surrounding areas, drew criticism for her Palestinian advocacy. Some said she had failed to respond forcefully to antisemitic incidents in the district. Yet Hanif, the first Muslim woman elected to the City Council, easily beat her top challenger, Maya Kornberg, who is Jewish, despite an influx of money from wealthy pro-Israel groups and donors. That outcome dismayed Ramon Maislen, a developer who launched Brooklyn BridgeBuilders to oppose Hanif's reelection and said antisemitism did not seem to resonate with voters. 'We were very disappointed with our neighbors' response,' he said. While campaigning against Hanif, he said he was routinely screamed at by residents and accused of supporting genocide. 'I think that those of us in the Jewish community that are attuned to that are cognizant that there's been some kind of cultural sea change that's occurring,' he said. 'What we're seeing is a legitimatization of hatred that isn't happening in any other liberal or progressive space.' Mamdani has repeatedly pledged to fight antisemitism, including during an appearance on 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,' where he was asked about his stance. He was joined on the show by city comptroller and fellow candidate Brad Lander, the city's highest-ranking Jewish official, who had cross-endorsed him. He has also said he would increase funding for anti-hate crime programming by 800%. But many of his comments have angered Jewish groups and officials, most notably his refusal to disavow the phrase 'globalize the intifada,' which has been used as a slogan in recent protests. Many Jews see it as a call to violence against Israeli civilians. In a podcast interview, Mamdani said the phrase captured a 'a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.' Given another opportunity to condemn the phrase, Mamdani on Sunday told NBC's 'Meet the Press' that it was not his role to police speech and pledged to be a mayor who 'protects Jewish New Yorkers and lives up to that commitment through the work that I do.' Mamdani also supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which aims to pressure governments, schools and other institutions to boycott Israeli products, divest from companies that support the country, and impose sanctions. The Anti-Defamation League calls it antisemitic and part of a broader campaign to 'delegitimize and isolate the state of Israel.' Mamdani has also said that, as mayor, he would have Netanyahu arrested if the Israeli leader tried to enter the city. The ADL in a statement Thursday warned candidates and their supporters not to use 'language playing into dangerous antisemitic canards that time and time again have been used to incite hatred and violence against Jews.' In his victory speech, Mamdani alluded to the criticism he'd received and said he would not abandon his beliefs. But he also said he would 'reach further to understand the perspectives of those with whom I disagree and to wrestle deeply with those disagreements.' Colvin writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Jake Offenhartz contributed to this report.
