TheHill
Zohran Mamdani, the 112th mayor of New York City, took office Jan. 1, 2026. In Seattle, Katie Wilson was sworn in the following day.
Both had run on sweeping promises: affordable housing, free transit, city-run groceries, rent freezes. The scorecard is in: These two administrations offered spectacular pitches, and now reality is pushing back.
The fare-free bus proposal has been deferred
Mamdani faces a multi-billion-dollar budget gap. He claims he inherited it
His wealth-tax solution was rejected by Gov. Kathy Hochul. His backup, a 9.5 percent property tax hike , was blocked by City Council Speaker Julie Menin.
Seattle tells a similar story. Wilson won by 0.73 percentage points — the closest mayoral race there since 1906.
Homelessness, which she called “the most important reason why I’m sitting here,” has not materially improved. Five hundred promised shelter units have yet to materialize.
Seattle has spent heavily on homeless services for years with little visible street improvement.
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and the free shit army marches on…
Zohran Mamdani, the 112th mayor of New York City, took office Jan. 1, 2026. In Seattle, Katie Wilson was sworn in the following day.
Both had run on sweeping promises: affordable housing, free transit, city-run groceries, rent freezes. The scorecard is in: These two administrations offered spectacular pitches, and now reality is pushing back.
The fare-free bus proposal has been deferred
Mamdani faces a multi-billion-dollar budget gap. He claims he inherited it
His wealth-tax solution was rejected by Gov. Kathy Hochul. His backup, a 9.5 percent property tax hike , was blocked by City Council Speaker Julie Menin.
Seattle tells a similar story. Wilson won by 0.73 percentage points — the closest mayoral race there since 1906.
Homelessness, which she called “the most important reason why I’m sitting here,” has not materially improved. Five hundred promised shelter units have yet to materialize.
Seattle has spent heavily on homeless services for years with little visible street improvement.
+====+====+====+====+====+====+====+====+====+
and the free shit army marches on…