For Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the first 100 days have been full of efforts to show that government can still deliver for ordinary New Yorkers. He has used social media, public appearances, and small but visible policy moves to argue that City Hall can be energetic, responsive and on the side of working people.
But as the last reform-minded mayor to win over a million votes, John Lindsay, learned, there can be a great cost to good intentions. Now comes Mamdani’s first test that cannot be won with messaging alone: the budget.
