Latest news with #mayor
CTV News
5 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
Denare Beach rebuilding after devastating wildfire
Watch WATCH: The mayor of Denare Beach says the long road to rebuilding has begun, but first the burned debris needs to be dealt with properly.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Past their due date'? Justin Greene's rivals in Santa Fe mayor's race call out his 'lack of experience'
Santa Fe County Commissioner Justin Greene came out swinging Wednesday when he formally announced his campaign for mayor. Though he didn't drop any names, Greene, now the seventh candidate to jump into the crowded race, asserted some of his rivals are "retired" and "just past their due date" — perhaps not the wisest choice of words in a city with an increasingly growing graying population. In a wide-ranging interview Thursday on The New Mexican's Around the Roundhouse podcast, Greene, 56, sought to clarify his remarks after being asked whether such a message would resonate in a city where a quarter of the population is over the age of 65 and among the most loyal voters. Santa Fe mayoral candidate Justin Greene shares his vision for the city and touts his experience "The point that I was making there is that we need an effective mayor, right?" he said. "Everybody, everybody — even kids that can't vote, right? — have a voice in our governance, right, and talking about the future and talking about things that are needed in the time right now. Right now, we need somebody that's effective, so somebody that's at the peak of their career with the knowledge base, you know, hasn't been sitting on the sidelines for a decade." Former councilors fire back Asked which candidates he was specifically referring to who are has-beens, Greene didn't call out anyone by name. "Some people had run for mayor in the past, and maybe this is time for some new blood," he said. Two of the candidates, Ron Trujillo and JoAnne Vigil Coppler, are both former city councilors who have unsuccessfully run for mayor. Both were defeated by Mayor Alan Webber, who announced in May he would not be seeking a third term. "Is that who we're talking about here?" The New Mexican asked Greene. "I'll let you. Yeah. OK. Thank you," he responded with a smirk. Vigil Coppler fired back at Greene with a retort reminiscent of former President Ronald Reagan when he was asked during a presidential debate in 1984 if he was too old to be president at age 73. "If Mr. Greene wishes to display his ego by making discriminatory remarks about a candidate's age, then I am free to exploit his middle-age youth and complete lack of experience," said Vigil Coppler, 71. During the 1984 debate against Democratic opponent Walter Mondale, Reagan, a Republican known for his sharp wit and sense of humor, quipped, "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." Vigil Coppler said Reagan's remark remains one of the best lines in American politics, though she noted her remark wasn't plagiarized because it was different. "I'll tell you something else," she added. "Perhaps Mr. Green is taking a line out of the current mayor's playbook [because] he told one of the department directors that she reminded him of an expired date on a milk carton on the shelf." Vigil Coppler declined to disclose the director's identity, saying she asked her not to. A spokesperson for Webber declined comment. Trujillo, who is the same age as Greene, swung back at Greene, too. "There's no expiration on fighting for Santa Fe or caring about its future," he said. Trujillo also noted Greene is campaigning for mayor while serving out his first term as a county commissioner. "Commissioner Greene serving half a term doesn't make him the expert on who's seasoned or who should run for mayor," Trujillo said, adding he delivered "real results" to his council district during his 12 years in office. "I fulfilled my commitment to the voters who elected me to three full four-year terms," he said. "I didn't quit on them to chase a higher-profile office." Greene said he has a responsibility to finish out his term as a county commissioner. "I'm sure that I can balance both of them," he said, referring to his mayoral campaign and his elective office. Not the only Spanish speaker During his campaign announcement Wednesday, Greene also said he believed he is the only mayoral candidate who speaks Spanish, which is false. At least two others, Trujillo and Oscar Rodriguez, a former Taos town manager and Santa Fe finance director, can speak the language. Rodriguez, whose Spanish is impeccable, unlike Greene's, said he's known Greene "as a friend" for years. "Now I'm thinking that I regret so much that I was not able to talk to him in Spanish. Had I known, I would have told him about all my consulting experience in Latin America, precisely in the area of city services," said Rodriguez, who repeated his response word for word in Spanish. Greene speaks closer to what is known as Portuñol in Latin America, or a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese. He said his first second language was Portuguese, which he said he is stronger in than Spanish, primarily because of his Brazilian wife. When informed by The New Mexican on Thursday that other mayoral candidates speak Spanish, Greene said it was good to know. "I think that is definitely an aspect that allows us to reach out to different communities across Santa Fe," he said. As far as saying some of the candidates are past their prime, Greene said he has friends who are seniors who say they wouldn't have the energy to be mayor. "This is going to be an energetic, hard job to do for four years," he said. "As a county commissioner, I'm super hardworking." Greene said he attends "meeting after meeting," routinely collaborates with county staff and responds to constituents at all hours of the day. "I get responses from constituents that are like, 'Wait, did you just email me [on] Sunday morning at three o'clock in the morning?' " he said. "If I'm up, and my phone is near me, I will respond as best I can, and that's just who I am, just a hard worker. "And so that was the point, there, right? You know, some people when they get to a point in their life, they should enjoy retirement. I'm just not there yet."
Fox News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
WNBA champ Natasha Cloud shares support for socialist New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani
New York Liberty player Natasha Cloud has made her support for radical socialist Zohran Mamdani in the city's mayoral race very clear in recent days. Cloud, who has been one of the WNBA's more outspoken players in discussing politics in recent years, celebrated Mamdani's victory in the Democratic primary on Wednesday in a series of social media posts. Cloud sent an X post that featured one of Mamdani's regularly-used quotes, "We can be free, & we can be fed," tagging the candidate. Earlier that night, Cloud re-shared Mamdani's celebratory post. On June 18, Cloud re-shared a video from Mamdani addressing his reaction to being called an anti-Semite, and that same day Cloud wrote her own post expressing her support for the self-proclaimed democratic socialist. "If I wasn't a resident of PA, [Mamdani] is who would receive my vote," Cloud wrote. In an interview with the sports blogging site "ClutchPoints," Cloud said that Mamdani's victory in the primary restored her "hope in humanity." "He gets the worst PR because he's a Muslim, he's a socialist, and he's a democrat. But he believes that it is the government's right to take care and make sure that all its constituents live a dignified life, regardless of who you are, what your religious affiliation or background is. I think that's beautiful," Cloud said. "I think overall, it's the right choice. But why it's so empowering for me is it restored my hope in humanity a little bit. Even within the confines of what's happening right now in our government and in our country, the people will speak up. The people will show up. And there's a lot of humanity left in this world for us to care about one another." Cloud has emerged as one of the most polarizing figures in the WNBA for comments about President Donald Trump. She seemingly reacted to the U.S. military's strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday night, writing on X, "A sad sad day," and "Grounds for impeachment." She later wrote, "I pi---d all the tumplicans off again It's okay to admit y'all were wrong. [And] also I feel as if it's only right y'all enlist for the frontlines first. Not other peoples sons and daughters." In February, Cloud responded to President Donald Trump's decision to eliminate several government DEI programs. "The systems of power are working as they always were intended to work," Cloud told The Associated Press. "And it's time to break down a system that has only been about White men." Cloud added that she believes the country is putting "money over people." "I understand the business aspect and I understand the human aspect," Cloud said. "Too often this country has put the human aspect aside, and put profit and money over people." Cloud doubled down on her remarks in a social media post days later. "Thing is I'm not soft, & words don't hurt me lol are we 5? it still remains people over profit," she wrote on X. "If yall truly about being unbiased… Google search any overseas media coverage of what's happening in America. "Then come back to me and tell me the whole world crazy." Cloud has also garnered controversy for comments and interactions with WNBA phenom Caitlin Clark. During an interview on the "Pivot Podcast" with Ryan Clark, Cloud weighed in on the debate that rocked the WNBA last year when several illegal hits against Clark prompted outrage from many of her fans. Cloud, who said she lost a tooth from a hit earlier in her career, insisted the outrage on behalf of Clark was rooted in "racism." "It's just a part of the game. There was no targeting, there was no nothing. That narrative that got spun into, 'Oh, the vets hate the rookies. The rookies hate the vets. The vets are going after certain players,' it's all bulls---. If I'm just going to be frank, it's all bulls---. What it is is racism," Cloud said. Then, in a game between Cloud's Liberty and Clark's Indiana Fever on May 24, Cloud was defending Clark and leaned into the superstar enough to knock the ball out of Clark's hands on the final possession. No foul was called, and Cloud's Liberty held onto a two-point win. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Why the White House is going to war with the Big Apple
A charismatic yet divisive politician, unafraid of making controversial pronouncements; with showbusiness roots and a deep connection to ordinary voters. Ridiculed by the media elite, but capable of electrifying his base through social media messaging. The description could, of course, apply to Donald Trump – but it also fits Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old hot favourite to become the next mayor of New York. Mamdani caused the largest upset in the Big Apple in decades earlier this week, defeating former New York governor Andrew Cuomo to become the Democratic nominee. Neither would welcome the comparison. Following his win, Trump called Mamdani – an unabashed democratic socialist whose policy programme might even give Jeremy Corbyn pause for thought – a '100 per cent Communist Lunatic.' The president didn't stop there: 'He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he's not very smart,' Trump went on. Mamdani hasn't been shy with his criticism, either. If elected, he has vowed to use the Mayoralty's 'power to reject Donald Trump's fascism.' The chances of such an outcome are high: New York is a Democratic stronghold, meaning the Ugandan-born son of a Columbia University professor and a celebrated Indian film director will be the frontrunner in November's election. The reasons behind Momdani's rise While their viewpoints might be worlds apart, both Trump and Mamdani, the latter a New York State Assembly member since 2020, demonstrate that contemporary American political triumph tends to be achieved through wildly unconventional means. Mamdani, who would be the city's first Muslim mayor and the youngest to hold the office since John Purroy Mitchel in 1914, has courted controversy by describing Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide and proposing Leftist policies including free bus rides, rent controls and city-owned grocery stores. However, his emphasis on affordability in a city marked by profound cost-of-living concerns and rising inequality proved popular with Democrat primary voters, leading to him comfortably beating Cuomo, 67, despite being comprehensively outspent and being a relative outsider at the outset of the contest. Having resigned as New York governor in 2021 in the wake of damaging sexual misconduct allegations (which he denied), Cuomo was hoping for a political comeback, and at one stage was 30 per cent ahead in the polls. He has not ruled out running as an independent in the mayoral election, which will also be contested by Eric Adams, the incumbent. Adams won office as a Democrat but will run again as an independent after seeing his popularity crash amid a corruption scandal. Of the three, Mamdani is now in pole position. If he wins, his pledge to fund housing and economic initiatives by raising billions through taxing the rich will set him on a clear collision course with a Trump White House that has cultivated a billionaire-friendly business environment. Moreover, Washington and the Big Apple will almost certainly find themselves at odds over migration. Clashes over immigration New York has long enjoyed a reputation for being a global melting pot that thrives on diversity. But the spirit of inclusivity towards immigration has recently been tested. Since 2022, more than 210,000 migrants have arrived in New York City – an influx that has put a major strain on public resources. In response, the city erected more than 200 emergency shelters, most notably a sprawling site on Randall's Island. The parkland in Manhattan is popular for hosting children's football games and family picnics, but, until the shelter shut last spring, housed 3,000 migrants in an encampment marred by frequent reports of thefts, brawls and even deaths. The crisis fed into wider, national concerns about migration in the US which fuelled Trump's return to the White House. Earlier this month, the president's new travel ban came into effect, barring citizens from 12 countries – the majority of which are predominantly Muslim – from entering the country. Mass deportations of illegal migrants are ongoing. Adams, who was indicted last year on corruption charges (which he denied and were later dropped by the Trump administration), has supported the crackdown, with illegal migration rates in the US' most populous city falling in recent months. 'Let's be clear: I'm not standing in the way. I'm collaborating,' he said earlier this year. Many Democratic-leaning New Yorkers have meanwhile been left disillusioned with Adams's closeness to the Trump administration, as reflected in Mamdani's unlikely success. Mamdani himself has taken aim at the roundups orchestrated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, most notably in the wake of the arrest of fellow mayoral candidate Brad Lander earlier this month while he guided a defendant out of an immigration court. 'If this is what ICE is willing to do to a comptroller of the city of New York, imagine what they are willing to do to immigrants whose names you don't even know,' Mamdani said. 'Prior to Trump's second term, the backlash to migrant arrivals had absolutely grown,' says Harry Siegel, incoming Moynihan public scholar at Manhattan's City College and co-host of the FAQ NYC podcast. 'But Mamdani's appeal has a tremendous amount to do with the Trump administration arresting and detaining students in weird circumstances and federal agents arresting suspects as they leave their court hearings. 'Right now the overarching concern is 'Holy s---, what is happening in our city and with this enforcement?',' Siegel adds, 'as opposed to, 'What is happening with these migrants, who have stopped showing up in massive numbers for close to a year now.'' Trump's complicated relationship with New York Trump was born and raised in Queens and partly owes his political success to being incessantly covered by the New York media, which has mostly now turned on him. Much was made of his closing campaign rally at Madison Square Garden last October and a rousing appearance in the south Bronx several months earlier, notable for taking place while he was on trial for falsifying business records to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Trump went on to register a stronger performance in the city during last year's election than any Republican presidential nominee since 1988. Experts say that was less to do with an upsurge in enthusiasm for the president, than the fact many would-be Democrats didn't turn out for Kamala Harris. But that hasn't stopped Mamdani ripping a few pages out of the president's playbook. 'People first took notice of Mamdani when he put out a video just after Trump's [presidential] win going round the city, speaking with Trump supporters,' says Siegel. 'He's very conscious of the electoral appeal that Trump and populist politics has and he's eager to provide some of that on the Left.' For its part, the Trump administration seems eager to take the fight to a New York that it perceives as dangerously liberal. 'NYC is the clearest warning yet of what happens to a society when it fails to control migration,' Stephen Miller, Trump's pugnacious deputy chief of staff, posted on X following Mamdani's primary victory. 'An agenda like this doesn't work' The showdown between the White House and the Big Apple may suit both parties, for very different reason s. 'Mamdani's a perfect foil for Trump – he's a socialist and a Muslim,' says Democrat strategist Brad Bannon. 'But Trump's attacks on Mamdani are only going to help him, because Trump is so unpopular in New York. I think there's going to be great conflict between the White House and Gracie Mansion [the mayor's residence] once Mamdani takes over.' Douglas Carswell, the former MP for Clacton and now president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, says the mayoral hopeful may ultimately prove to be a 'gift to Trump', whatever his success in New York. 'It allows him to show Mamdani as being the face of the Democrat Party – the fact he's anti-Israel for example is a real no-no for millions of middle Americans.' Come November, Siegel forecasts stand-offs between New York and the White House – in particular over migration – if Mamdani proves victorious. 'Trump can just flood Manhattan with ICE agents and criminal law enforcement will conflict with civil immigration enforcement.' As mayor, Mamdani would also be able to make his influence felt. 'I'm pretty certain Mamdani has the power to enact rent freezes, free public buses, city-owned grocery stores and affordable housing without the government stopping him,' says Carswell. 'He may face legal challenges but I suspect fiscal constraint rather than federal government will be the bigger factor.' Indeed, the limits of the White House's ability to influence policy in New York are illustrated by the fact the city's congestion charge still stands, months after Trump ordered for it to be scrapped in February. But Carswell says that, too, may yet come to benefit the president as he sets himself up against a new challenger from the Left. Albeit at the possible expense of residents of the Big Apple. 'How odd that a city that was once the embodiment of free-market capitalism – the Big Apple – is implementing Argentina-type rent controls and expecting it will end differently. It won't,' he says. 'Mamdani can bring in rent freezes and city-owned grocery stores but New Yorkers will learn the hard way that an agenda like this doesn't work.'
Al Jazeera
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
How Zohran Mamdani shocked New York
Why everyone is talking about New York City's new mayoral frontrunner. Thirty-three years old, socialist, Muslim – and now, the likely Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City – Zohran Mamdani was barely known a few months ago. Today, he may be the most popular political voice of a generation. How did he get here – and could he be here to stay?
