Even with the election nearly two weeks away, Democratic mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani’s campaign has started lobbying City Council members on his proposal to launch a new agency that would take over certain responsibilities, such as mental health calls, from the NYPD, the Daily News has learned.
Mamdani’s campaign manager, Elle Bisgaard-Church, led a virtual briefing Thursday afternoon about the candidate’s proposal to establish the so-called Department of Community Safety. The call included a small group of supportive progressive Council members, including Tiffany Caban of Queens and Sandy Nurse of Brooklyn, according to sources familiar with the private call.
Justin Sanchez, the Democratic candidate for a Bronx seat currently held by Councilman Rafael Salamanca, was also in attendance, as was a rep for Brooklyn Councilman Lincoln Restler, sources confirmed. An Albany lawmaker, Bronx state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, attended as well, according to the sources.
It’s unusual — though not unheard of — for mayoral candidates to begin substantive policy discussions with lawmakers before being elected. The fact that Mamdani’s camp is hosting such a meeting points to his confidence as he polls as the heavy favorite to win the Nov. 4 mayoral election against independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani will need Council approval in order to launch his proposed Department of Community Safety, potentially even requiring a member of the chamber to introduce a bill to establish it.
Thursday’s call was, in part, focused on “setting the foundation for co-governance” with the Council so that a plan can be formulated for “real implementation” of the new agency, a Mamdani campaign source said.
Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. (Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit)
There was also a presentation about the agency itself featuring details about the role it would play in trying to combat gun violence, homelessness and the city’s mental health crisis, the insider said.
Mamdani’s campaign has previously said it envisions the civilian agency having a $1 billion annual budget and being responsible for responding to mental health calls that cops currently handle while also playing civilian functions in trying to fight the homelessness and gun violence crises.
The thinking would be that such a division of labor would free up NYPD officers to deal with more serious violent crime, justifying Mamdani’s proposal to keep police funding flat.
Some critics of Mamdani have questioned the viability of the plan, arguing civilian employees wouldn’t be able to absorb some of the functions currently handled by the police department.
The Mamdani campaign’s discussion with Council stakeholders also came on the heels of his announcement that he intends to ask Jessica Tisch, Mayor Adams’ NYPD commissioner, to stay on if he’s elected. Adams is not seeking reelection as he dropped out of the race last month amid record low approval ratings.
Tisch has been criticized by some of Mamdani’s left-wing allies for embracing public safety solutions seen as too aggressive. For instance, she has called for rolling back the “Raise the Age” law that prevents juveniles from being prosecuted as adults — a suggestion Mamdani affirmed this week he’s opposed to even as he says he wants Tisch to stay on as police commissioner.
Tisch hasn’t said whether she’d accept Mamdani’s offer to remain NYPD commissioner under his potential administration.
It’s also unclear how much appetite there could be in the chamber next year to sign off on the creation of Mamdani’s proposed new agency if he’s elected.
A number of Council members, including Speaker Adrienne Adams, are leaving office at the end of the year because of term limits. It’s not yet clear who might replace Adams, but whoever does will have large sway over whether the chamber will prioritize helping Mamdani with the agency plan.
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