Overview
- New Yorkers gave the mayor a 48% job approval in a Marist poll released Wednesday, with 56% saying the city is headed in the right direction and 23% still undecided.
- Mamdani is pressing for a state tax on high earners to close an estimated $5.4 billion deficit, clashing with Governor Kathy Hochul and City Council Speaker Julie Menin as a June 30 budget deadline approaches.
- An early win came when the state funded a two‑year free child care pilot for 2‑year‑olds that starts this fall with 2,000 seats and expands to 12,000 in year two, though long‑term funding remains unclear.
- The mayor says fare‑free buses will not launch this year as the MTA focuses on speeding service, citing a prior pilot that found free rides did not make buses faster.
- Residents approved of his winter storm response at 65% after two major storms and an extended deep freeze that caused multiple deaths, according to the same Marist survey.