You are reading

PODCAST: We Talk to Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist Who Will be Representing the 36th Assembly District in Astoria

Zohran Mamdani, who will represent the 36th Assembly District that covers Astoria

Sept. 18, 2020 By Christian Murray

We talk to Zohran Mamdani, a self-described socialist who will be representing the 36th Assembly District in Albany next year.

Mamdani, 28, is an Astoria resident who won the Democratic primary against incumbent Aravella Simotas in June in what proved to be a very competitive race. He was the only Queens assembly candidate endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America.

Mamdani, who will represent a district that covers Astoria, discusses his platform that aims to tackle the housing crisis, inequities in the criminal justice system, the inequalities of the public-school system, and a transportation system that he believes should include free MTA fares and better infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians.

He talks about the need for a progressive income tax structure to pay for many of the services that he believes should be free. He advocates increasing the personal income tax rate on people who earn more than $150,000 a year as well as taxing Wall Street.

Mamdani, who was previously a foreclosure prevention specialist, plans to focus heavily on the housing crisis. He talks about the need for universal rent control—which would cover all market rate apartments with the exception of most 2-to-3-family homes—to protect tenants in a similar manner as rent stabilization.

He talks about the need for a state flip tax—or short-term capital gains tax– to prevent speculators buying and selling property within 12 months for a hefty profit.

Mamdani said that one in four homes are bought by unnamed investors in Astoria which he says is leading to residents being priced out.

He is calling for the complete elimination of cash bail and solitary confinement, as well as a reduction in funding for the NYPD. While the NYPD budget falls under the purview of the city council, Mamdani said he will use his bully pulpit to advocate for the reallocation of those funds to homeless services and other areas that the NYPD is not best equipped to handle.

*Listen to Queens Post podcasts on SoundCloud or view on YouTube.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

2 Comments

Click for Comments 
George Ost

What is going through politician’s minds ? Getting rid of cash bail and defunding the NYPD at the same time ?? I honestly believe they legalized marijuana in their own minds and are smoking it up to make these outrageous, irrational, moronic, and totally insane agendas. What next ?? Please surprise me !! I don’t watch Comedy Central anymore, I watch the news………..

Reply
Eileen Bennett

Are the people living in this district totally out of their minds. Are they really going to elect a socialist????

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Dead body of adult woman pulled from the freezing waters off Rockaway Park Friday morning: NYPD

First responders pulled the body of a woman from the frigid waters off Rockaway Park on Friday morning, and investigators are working to determine how she died.

Police from the 100th Precinct in Rockaway Beach responded to a 911 call at 8:44 a.m. reporting a person in the Atlantic Ocean in the vicinity of Beach 109th Street and Shore Front Parkway, where the body of an adult woman was recovered from the surf, unconscious and unresponsive.