Lefty New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani says NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch will fall behind his vision for criminal-justice reforms, insisting that if he wins the race, “everyone will follow” his lead.
Speaking on the Hell Gate podcast Friday, Mamdani, 34, was confronted with concerns that Tisch would stand against the type of reforms the Democratic Socialist and his supporters are pushing for, given her previous positions.
“Lots of people who support your candidacy care about criminal-justice reform and reforming the NYPD, and for the past year, she has stood to thwart that,” host Christopher Robbins reminded Mamdani as the host asked for an explanation as to why the frontrunner said he would keep Tisch on board if elected.
Hell Gate/Youtube
Mamdani quickly defended his decision by claiming that Tisch had already been working to accomplish some of the ideas he was pushing, including the formation of a Department of Public Safety.
But Robbins still appeared skeptical, as Tisch has been a vocal opponent of some criminal-justice reforms, claiming last month that spikes in crime were due to the changes passed by ex Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The police commissioner has also backed the decision to keep the city’s controversial gang database active, as well as pushed for a crackdown on low-level offenses and opposed bail and judicial-discovery reform, as Robbins and his fellow hosts pointed out.
“So she’s going to reverse her position on all those things?” Robbins asked Mamdani skeptically. “She’s going to follow your lead in City Hall?”
Mamdani replied, “I think everyone will follow my lead.
“I’ll be the mayor.”
Mamdani also tried to shut down worries that his relationship with Tisch would be a repeat of the fallout between former Mayor Bill De Blasio and ex-NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, the latter of whom resigned after a series of spats over policing policies.
Despite Mamdani’s claim that Tisch would be on board with his leadership, the candidate admitted he had yet to directly speak to the police commissioner about continuing under his administration if he wins.
