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To the editor:
Mayor Zohran Mamdani needs to be asked why raiding the Retirees Health Benefit Trust Fund again, this time for $229 million, is going to close a $5.4 billion deficit. It's bad enough that mayors and union leaders have been willing to jeopardize the healthcare benefits of retired city workers.
But this doesn't even come close to closing the gap.
Harry Weiner is right to criticize Mamdani for being willing to listen to Acting Municipal Labor Council (MLC) Co-Chair Henry Garrido, who has repeatedly pushed to have city retirees forced into a Medicare Advantage program, but not to the retirees themselves. Is this Mamdani's way to cater to someone who strongly contributed to his campaign regardless of who gets hurt?
If so, this "socialist" is just another politician of dubious integrity.
The MLC is considering a plan to share city workers' detailed health data with insurance companies. Besides the question of employees' privacy concerns, just how would this save the city $100 million?
Mamdani also proposes to scrap plans to hire 5,000 additional cops and create the Department of Community Safety to relieve police from dealing with the mentally ill. But if a mentally ill person has a weapon and is threatening violence, how are unarmed employees going to deal with that?
The headcount of the NYPD has been declining due to officers leaving to join forces outside of the city that pay better. Mandani's predecessor, Eric Adams, deserves much blame for this. The PBA's contract expired in July of 2025 and he made no effort to negotiate a new deal before leaving office.
While Mamdani inherited this mess, combing through his proposed $127 billion budget for savings is preferable to the poor choices he is considering.
Richard Warren
3 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Valete
You supported Mr. Zohran Mamdani.
Stop crying, liar, liar, you are balmy.
Embrace NYC’s left-wing tsunami.
All hail Zohran Kwame Mamdani.
Wednesday, March 4 Report this
Valete
How did you think Mamdani could provide free services to his constituents?
Socialists do not generate income; they tax the middle class out of existence and squander their tax dollars on programs that bankrupt the city’s finances. When socialists run out of middle-class tax dollars, the city collapses, and the remaining people are left destitute and ill-used!
Friday, March 6 Report this
wpeakes
@Richard Warren
Agreed. I believe the most sensible thing for Mayor Mamdani to do is scale back some his more expensive, ambitious goals/campaign promises and resolve to get more things done when he's had more time to thoroughly review the city's finances.
Friday, March 6 Report this