Overview
- On Monday, New York Post reporting highlighted a 2025 Jim Owles questionnaire in which Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote, “Yes, I support renaming,” and City Hall has not confirmed whether he still holds that position.
- The Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club is campaigning for removal of Koch’s name because it says the former mayor mishandled the 1980s AIDS crisis, and club president Allen Roskoff has publicly urged officials to act.
- Speaker Julie Menin, whose district includes the span, told the Jim Owles Club in 2025 she favored reverting the name but has since declined to cosponsor any renaming legislation.
- A New York Post review of the club’s questionnaires found about sixteen current or former City Council members supported or would consider legislation to strip Koch’s name, yet no formal bill has been reported as advanced.
- The bridge was officially renamed the Ed Koch–Queensboro Bridge in 2011 by the City Council and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, renaming requires council action, and local reactions remain mixed with some residents and consultants saying city leaders should focus on services and infrastructure first.