I was hoping that the end of the mayoral election would mean being able to stop paying attention to NYC politics.
I was naive.
As Krugman points out, NYC is doing great. It's recovered from Covid in ways that place like San Francisco really hasn't (yet). Crime is down, life expectancy is up. Some good policy decisions, like congestion pricing, have worked; others are still up for grabs, and NYC is a great ground zero for "abundance" experimentation, when it comes to housing.
Having just driven to JFK yesterday, I can attest both that the area around Flushing has improved a lot over the last decade, it's still vaguely dystopian in its aesthetics. Business fronts just look dirty and tired. The Van Wyck remains the single worst road in America, with construction that has never ended. If you were from a small town, and flew into NY via JFK or even LaGuardia, you would probably think it was a failed city on the brink of collapse.
But it's not. It's old and grungy, sure, but it works in it own chaotic way. It will be interesting to see what Mamdani can actually achieve, given NYC's fractious politics and power structures. I'd wager he does some good, but falls far short of the dreams of his most ardent supporters.
Best of luck, New York. Except for the Mets.
