Latest on whether Swindon joins other councils in the future
The government has asked top-tier councils of all but the largest size to discuss making agreements to form Mayoral Strategic Authorities which will not supersede existing top-tier councils like Swindon but will have extra powers with regards to strategic transport and infrastructure and economic development.
Swindon council leaders are keen on a deal with Oxfordshire and Berkshire councils. Reflecting a need for development along the M4 corridor.
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But Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet agreed this week that: 'As the constituent member of any future Mayoral County Combined Authority, the cabinet's preferred geography for a Mayoral Strategic Authority is Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire."
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South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils have also said they'd prefer a strategic authority which includes Oxfordshire and Berkshire but not Swindon.
But Councillor Robbins says he still thinks that a M4 corridor deal is best for Swindon, and is confident that one can be achieved, not least because under the terms of the devolution deal, Oxfordshire councils will be re-organised into one unitary authority - similar to Swindon and Wiltshire councils.
He said: 'Swindon Borough Council have been fully engaged with devolution conversations with potential partners, as well as holding a number of conversations at the highest levels of Government, including at our meeting in Downing Street last week.
'We attended the third of these meetings with our friends from across the Thames Valley this week, a set of meetings that Swindon Borough Council initiated ahead of the government's white paper being published. The meeting was really positive and we are grateful to Reading Borough Council and the University of Reading for hosting.
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'We are very confident that we will be able to make the case to ministers that Swindon stands ready and willing to play its full part in the government's desire to boost growth in a new Mayoral Combined Authority and will make our submission when required to by government.
'The comments from some of the Oxfordshire District Councils are designed to talk to their particular areas, their desire to benefit from local government reorganisation and benefitting their political parties. In Swindon, we will remain relentlessly focused on the wider benefits of devolution and increased powers and funding that Swindon can benefit from.'
However, the deputy leader of Swindon Conservatives, Councillor Dale Heenan is critical, saying Cllr Robbins is guilty of over-confidence: 'Two secret summits have been held with councils to our East about a joint devolution deal but no details have been released about what the leadership of Swindon Borough Council has discussed or asked for.
"While Swindon Borough Council held an event in the House of Lords and saying how great it was, those same councils across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire agreed to work together, without Swindon. They have now written to the government saying so. Words on a page which everyone can read. It looks like key people are in denial.
"Swindon councillors urgently need to get together, agree how a devolution deal with government could benefit our town and villages, and then talk to all our neighbouring councils to find the best way to make it happen. Our neighbours are making decisions, time is running out."
Cllr Robbins said the meetings were not secret and were followed by press releases and added: 'I'm always happy to respond to Cllr Heenan's questions on devolution or any other topic either in person or via email, but his running to the papers catastrophising achieves little except to make him look ill-informed.'
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12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Early results from Utah's municipal primary elections
Various cities and towns across Utah will be voting in Tuesday's primary election for mayoral spots and city council posts, among others that are on the ballot this year. The filing period for most of the positions ended June 6, providing voters an initial glimpse at potential future leadership. Still, there's plenty of time to get to know the hopefuls — primary voting, if necessary to narrow the list of candidates, culminates on Tuesday, with general election voting ending on Nov. 4. Four Salt Lake County cities will be using ranked-choice voting — Salt Lake City, Millcreek, Midvale and South Salt Lake — and the filing period for those goes from Aug. 12-19. The ranked-choice voting process eliminates the need for a primary, and the varied candidates under the alternative system go directly to the general election ballot. Numerous posts on school boards and special districts across Utah will also be on the ballot this cycle, including school board seats for the three new school districts in Utah County in anticipation of the upcoming voter-approved split of the Alpine School District. Here's a look at some of the municipal races this year in selected Utah counties that are on the primary ballot. Many cities across Utah are holding mayoral elections this year. Salt Lake County Bluffdale City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Adam Christian, 343 Wendy Aston, 891 Mackey Smith, 719 Jeffrey Steele, 460 Albert Allen Larsen, 472 Draper City Council, 2-year term (1 seat, top 2 move on): Brad Byington, 1,395 Oliver Herrera Schuster, 419 Evan Sorensen, 391 Kathryn Dahlin, 2,041 Emigration Canyon City Council (1 seat, top 2 move on): Dillon Wheelock, 13 Jacob Steed, 105 Zachary Posner, 46 Roberto Pinon, 146 Herriman City Council, District 3 (top 2 move on): Matt Basham, 487 Rodman D. Grimm, 161 Heather Garcia, 336 Holladay Mayor (top 2 move on): Daren A. Watts, 1,949 Zac Wilson, 1,783 Paul S. Fotheringham, 3,092 Kearns Mayor (top 2 move on): Tina Marie Snow, 1,006 Christopher James Geertsen, 184 Michael Jesse Xon Valdez, 689 Cache Dexter, 70 City Council, District 2 (top 2 move on): Lyndsay Longtin, 221 Alan Peterson, 122 T. Jordan Hansen, 114 Magna Mayor (top 2 move on): Maxwell Thomas White, 360 Michael Ronald Romero, 426 Alexander Adriano, 459 Mickey Sudbury, 999 City Council, District 2 (top 2 move on): Eric Gordon Barney, 153 Cisco Johnny Rodriguez, 58 Megan L. Olsen, 193 City Council, District 4 (top 2 move on): Brooks Jones, 70 Terry George, 138 Trish A. Hull, 141 Murray Mayor (top 2 move on): John Jeffrey Evans, 1,124 Bruce E. Turner, 1,817 Brett Hales (incumbent), 4,425 City Council, District 2 (top 2 move on): Pamela Jane Cotter, 805 Dale M. Cox, 382 Jared Michael Eborn, 412 Aaron Lee Holbrook, 174 City Council, District 3 (top 2 move on): Clark Bullen, 713 Scott Goodman, 317 Ben Peck, 424 Leann Parker-Reed, 162 Riverton Mayor (top 2 move on): Tish Buroker, 3,693 Tawnee McCay, 2,033 John Scott, 402 Sandy Mayor (top 2 move on): Monica Zoltanski (incumbent), 9,139 Alison Stroud, 1,909 Cyndi Sharkey, 4,358 Justin Hilgendorff, 95 Roger Downward, 223 City Council, District 3 (top 2 move on): Iva Williams, 978 Kris Nicholl, 1,770 Matthew Ostrander, 630 Parry Harrison, 921 West Jordan City Council (3 seats, top 6 move on): Rob Bennett, 1,986 Kayleen Whitelock, 2,790 Jessica Wignall, 2,040 Chris McConnehey, 2,051 Kevin Seal, 609 Sergio Sotelo, 1,876 JD Sheppard, 1,107 Rulon Green, 663 Kelvin Green, 1,807 David F. Pack, 1,782 Annette Harris, 2,632 Eric Hanna, 240 West Valley City City Council, at-large (top 2 move on): Heidi Roggenbuck, 2,398 Lars Nordfelt, 2,608 Ryan L. Mahoney, 892 Justin J. Turcsanski, 987 City Council, District 2 (top 2 move on): Danny George Jr., 610 Rocky A. Thomas, 272 Scott L. Harmon, 1,304 City Council, District 4 (top 2 move on): Cindy Wood, 1,288 Amitonu Wesley Amosa, 327 Geovani Salazar, 265 Jim M. Vesock, 314 Utah County Alpine City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Sarah Blackwell, 303 J. Ben Blank, 20 Jennifer Wadsworth, 353 Andrew Young, 475 Troy Slade, 231 Ali Garbero, 92 Wesley G. Funk, 155 Eagle Mountain Mayor (top 2 move on): Tom Westmoreland (incumbent), 481 Donna Rivera Burnham, 383 Melissa Clark, 906 Jared R. Gray, 944 Duncan J. Searcy, 266 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Emily Buss, 895 Brett L Wright, 1,295 Craig Whiting, 1,264 Laure Jensen, 654 Oreta M. Tupola, 299 Charlotte Ducos, 978 Highland City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): McKaiden Carruth, 205 Ron Campbell, 489 Wes Warren, 347 Liz Rice, 563 Kristin Richey, 324 Scott L. Smith, 670 Corey Freeze, 175 Lehi Mayor (top 2 move on): Paige Albrecht, 2,552 Chris Condie, 1,115 Paul Binns, 2,013 Charlie Tautuaa, 368 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): E. Larell Stephens, 596 Stephen Suafilo, 590 Kenneth Glade, 392 Emily Lockhart, 2,274 Rachel Freeman, 2,012 Jared V. Peterson, 1,515 James Harrison, 1,958 Paul Hancock, 1,442 Jordan M. Hutchinson, 455 Tyson Hodges, 253 Mapleton Mayor (top 2 move on): Dallas Hakes (incumbent), 1,015 Therin Garrett, 1,261 Scott Liggett, 715 Claudia Paradis, 72 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Kasey Beck, 1,283 Melanie Bott, 1,077 David Smaldone, 415 Angela Silva, 717 Francis Gibson, 1,136 Jake Lake, 1,011 Orem City Council (3 seats, top 6 move on): Steven White, 1,047 Archie Williams, 157 Tommy Williams, 196 Quinn Mecham, 4,273 Crystal Muhlestein, 3,396 Doyle Mortimer, 3,921 Angela Moulton, 3,826 LaNae Millett, 3,628 David M. Spencer, 3,180 Truman Van Cott, 731 Payson City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Easton Brady, 558 Kirk D. Beecher, 517 Brett Christensen, 404 Lacee Smith, 644 Bob Provstgaard, 867 Joseph Hansen, 193 Provo Mayor (top 2 move on): Michelle Kaufusi (incumbent), 4,436 Marsha Judkins, 3,877 Eric Mutch, 265 Thatcher Alain Longman, 285 City Council City Wide I (1 seat, top 2 move on): Katrice MacKay, 4,939 Adam Shin, 2,555 Tom Fifita Sitake Sr., 1,170 City Council District 2 (1 seat, top 2 move on): Sally Clayton, 164 Jeff Whitlock, 886 Hannah Petersen, 836 City Council District 5 (1 seat, top 2 move on): Sam Blackburn, 113 Rachel Whipple, 450 Shay Aslett, 65 Tim Jafek, 41 Saratoga Springs City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Emma Wilson, 1,009 Kevin McMillan, 564 Michael D.S. McOmber, 401 Esther Sekiziyivu, 359 Rob Taylor, 545 Tyler Tolley, 373 Randall Diamond, 400 Spanish Fork Mayor (top 2 move on): Mike Mendenhall (incumbent), 2,238 Scott Neilson, 1,045 Richard Dougan, 138 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Bryan Edman, 657 Shane Marshall, 1,920 Valerie Mills, 1,033 Kevin Oyler, 2,227 Edes Hill, 552 Spring Lake City Council 4-year term (2 seats, top 4 move on): Joy Benson, 61 Elizabeth Black, 22 David Charles, 109 Robert Judd, 87 Spensor Smith, 21 Jana Stanton, 21 Danise Farren, 29 City Council 2-year term (2 seats, top 4 move on): Richard Behling, 71 Sharon Bascom, 65 Shamayne Cram, 17 Von Menlove, 35 Robert C. Marsh, 94 Ryan Moore, 44 Jordy Smith, 25 Vineyard City Council (3 seats, top 6 move on): Brett Clawson, 227 Jacob Wood, 355 Caden Rhoton, 203 Terry Ewing, 204 Ezra Nair, 228 Parker McCumber, 306 David Lauret, 256 Steve Terry, 103 Davis County Clearfield City Council (2 open seats, top 4 move on): Brennan Berry, 474 Timothy Roper (incumbent), 791 Danielle King, 826 Karece Thompson (incumbent), 633 Tony B. De Mille, 298 Clinton City Council (2 open seats, top 4 move on): Jennifer Steele Christensen, 894 Robert Lee Eberhard, 120 Shelby Montgomery, 375 Adam B. Larsen, 1,110 Cameron M. Frick, 134 Gary Lee Tyler (incumbent), 352 Zackery M. Hatch, 536 Chris Danson, 927 Layton Mayor: Amy Midori Jones, 514 Trevor Lee Foust, 2,798 Joy Petro (incumbent), 4,814 City Council (2 open seats, top 4 move on): Britshana Dahl Barfuss, 1,616 Cody Rae, 607 Jory Rand Argyle, 1,739 Claude Young, 1,461 Jarrod Morrill, 1,210 Mike Kolendrianos, 2,606 Bettina Smith Edmondson (incumbent), 3,867 Linda Lartigue, 2,067 North Salt Lake City Council (2 open seats, top 4 move on): Gary Steven Widders, 229 Conrad Jacobson, 614 Heidi Smoot, 1,138 Alisa Van Langeveld (incumbent), 1,169 Ryan Holbrook, 828 Sunset City Council (2 open seats, top 4 move on): Raymond Harold Chapman Jr., 55 Ronald Fish Wilson, 83 Nancy Greco Smalling (incumbent), 255 David Silos-Aguirre, 68 Cornel Wilkes Thomas, 121 Katherine R. Hunter, 200 West Bountiful City Council (2 open seats, top 4 move on): Kelly Enquist (incumbent), 369 Frank Yingst, 40 Richmond S. Thornley, 302 Julie Nichols Thompson, 679 Mark W. Preece (incumbent), 443 West Point Mayor (top 2 move on): Annette Judd, 440 Brian Vincent (incumbent), 848 David Marvin Drake, 430 Weber County Harrisville City Council, at-large (2 seats, top 4 move on): Stephen Weiss, 152 Brenda Nelson, 172 Tracy Martinez, 58 Greg Montgomery, 512 Steven Wayne Hempel, 234 Jason Hadley, 535 Hooper City Council, Seat 3 (top 2 move on): Shauna Lee Ray, 82 Debra Marigoni, 117 Ray Hancock, 160 Marriott-Slaterville Mayor (top 2 move on): Les Syme, 264 Chelsie Stanger, 97 Mark Hodson, 122 Dennis Illum, 37 North Ogden Mayor (top 2 move on): Ryan Barker, 1,487 Mona Wald, 878 Phil Swanson, 1,046 City Council at-large (2 seats, top 4 move on): Kevin Burns, 1,020 Tera Carney, 1,150 Zach Ward, 866 Jared Paul Flandro, 805 Jay D. Dalpias, 2,130 Ogden Valley Mayor (top 2 move on): Janet Wampler, 901 Kyle F. Reeder, 200 Andrew Philip Newton, 60 Shanna Francis, 1,154 City Council, Seat 1 (top 2 move on): Michael Robert Zindel, 29 Christopher Charles Caldwell, 57 Chelsea J. Argyle, 94 Tia V. Shaw, 142 Raymond E. Higuera III, 42 City Council, Seat 2 (top 2 move on): Abe Kelly Wangsgard, 107 Rick Marriott Kelson, 47 Peggy Dooling-Baker, 255 City Council, Seat 3 (top 2 move on): Fred W. Blickle III, 74 Cari Cutler, 20 Marshall McGonegal, 52 Charlie Dickson Graff, 79 Benjamin H. Prall, 19 Kay Hoogland, 290 City Council, Seat 4 (top 2 move on): Christine Brown, 3 Chad Booth, 381 Laura Warburton, 49 Beau Rawlinson, 16 Trevor Shuman, 13 Heidi H. Gross, 13 Christy Veglia, 12 City Council, Seat 5 (top 2 move on): Donald E Griffiths, 92 Don Hickman, 235 Dan Davenport, 142 Ogden City Council, At-large Seat A (top 2 move on): Alicia Washington, 2,266 Marcia White, 2,464 Sheri Lyn Morreale, 454 John H. Thompson, 1,011 City Council, At-large Seat B (top 2 move on): Pieder Beeli, 874 Bart E. Blair, 2,383 Kevin Lundell, 2,954 Plain City Mayor (top 2 move on): Phil Meyer, 978 Shawna Faulkner, 366 Kade Parks, 126 City Council, at-large (2 seats, top 4 move on): Jed Jenkins, 845 Sean Jones, 390 Robert Jenkins Lamb, 391 Luigi Panunzio, 722 Lacey Hainline, 315 Pleasant View City Council, at-large (2 seats, top 4 move on): Sean Wilkinson, 796 Brian Gray, 349 Johnny Ferry, 733 Todd Hardman, 153 Derek Draper, 231 Riverdale City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Kent T. Anderson, 431 Bart Stevens, 339 Shauna Flinders, 332 Jim Packard, 279 Stacey E. Haws, 327 Roy City Council, at-large (2 seats, top 4 move on): Rebel Brooks, 394 Diane Wilson, 1,683 Blythe C. Wilde, 217 Jason Evan Sphar, 924 Anna Graff, 547 Janel Hulbert, 1,064 Anthony W. Dick, 778 City Council, at-large, 2-year (top 2 move on): Ty Chaston, 655 Sharin Marie Withers, 308 Darrin Albright, 522 Alexis Jackson, 780 Washington County Enterprise City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Yvonne Colby, 28 Justin Seegmiller, 113 Craig Gardner, 31 Ronald Alfred Lehm, 27 Douglas R Truman, 59 Kanton Vause, 47 Jerald Hunt, 58 Hurricane Mayor (top 2 move on): Nanette Billings (incumbent), 991 Rick Crow, 520 Gary Sanders, 315 Clark Fawcett, 1,058 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Shavene E. Butler, 401 Cindy Charlton-Matejka, 607 Lynn L Excell, 976 Katheryne Knight, 312 Kevin Thomas, 791 Michael C. Hirschi, 955 David B Imlay, 1,317 Ivins City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Jenny Johnson Christiansen, 297 Lance Burton Anderson, 125 Shad Johnsen, 440 Mike Scott, 1,100 Wayne D Pennington, 660 Dillon Hurt, 711 Jamy Dahle, 179 La Verkin City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Amanda Barr, 158 John Vincent Valenti, 104 Christian Kenneth Harrison, 74 Richard Brooks Howard, 148 Annika Durum, 90 Leeds Town Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Doris Brown-McNally, 87 Adam Ken Law, 47 Aaron Price, 87 Christine Marie Harvey, 70 Troi Gee Hoster, 55 Town Council 2-year term (1 seat, top 2 move on): Jeffrey Douglas Allen, 52 Rochelle Gardner, 98 Kenneth Hadley, 29 Springdale Mayor (top 2 move on): Barbara Bruno (incumbent), 110 Pat Campbell, 53 Jeff McKee, 4 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Noel Benson, 58 Jack Burns, 49 Paul Zimmerman, 28 Randy Aton, 70 Tom Kenaston, 71 Kathy LaFave, 29 St. George Mayor (top 2 move on): Michelle Randall (incumbent), 5,243 Brannon R. Razo, 314 Aros Mackey, 2,002 Jimmie B. Hughes, 4,554 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Nathan Caplin, 2,182 Greg Aldred, 3,296 Jami Leavitt, 4,054 Natalie Larsen, 4,454 Shane Losee, 1,751 Michelle Tanner, 5,019 Bryan D. Thiriot, 1,468 Tooele County Erda City Council District 4 (top 2 move on): Tynley Bean, 28 Lawrence Kimpel, 51 Craig Smith, 45 Grantsville Mayor (top 2 move on) Heidi B. Hammond, 663 Jolene Jenkins, 501 Todd Stewart, 386 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Kevin D Casey, 117 Mackenzie Wilstead, 340 Charles Sipes, 53 Tom Tripp, 756 Michael L. Tate, 324 Jake Thomas, 608 Mint Phillipps, 63 Derek Dalton, 633 Tooele Mayor (top 2 move on): Karen Betancor, 706 Priums S. Butler, 142 Maresa Tonioli Manzione, 1,513 Brad Pratt, 1,051 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Emily A Chandler, 1,094 Kelley Anderson, 775 Dave McCall, 1,528 Jon Gossett, 1,572 Spencer Peck, 1,123 Iron County Cedar City Mayor (top 2 move on): Emily Rhodes, 554 Steve Nelson, 2,162 Rebecca Faith Munn, 119 Phil E. Schmidt, 1,355 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Ronald Riddle, 1,500 Barry E. Short, 611 Waldo D. Galan, 1,502 Kathy A. Long, 893 R. Scott Phillips, 2,955 Enoch Mayor (top 2 move on): Noel J Wells, 205 Jim Rushton, 394 Katherine A. Ross, 422 Wasatch County Charleston Mayor (top 2 move on) Brenda Christensen, 29 Jan Wilson, 100 Shawn Taylor, 68 Town Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Michael Bauer, 80 Marc L. Mair, 64 John (Bob) Robert 'Bob' Kowallis, 44 Scott Todd Solum, 132 Brenda Angela Gemmell, 60 Heber City Mayor (top 2 move on) Heidi Franco (incumbent), 1,468 D. Scott Phillips, 1,271 Mike Hewlett, 206 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Yvonne M Barney, 1,259 Lori Wikert Rutland, 388 Corey Noyes, 620 Morgan Murdock, 940 Nick Lopez, 921 Christen Thompson, 550 Jami Hewlett, 152 Ken Davis, 583 Midway City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Craig Knight, 158 Starr Stratford, 648 Jared (JC) Simonsen, 430 Andy Garland, 621 Randy Lundin, 250 Genene Probst, 401 Summit County Coalville Mayor: (top 2 move on) Walter William Brock, 39 Lynn Wood, 111 Tyler J. Rowser, 34 Rory Thomas Swensen, 143 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on) Matthew Boyer, 188 Steven Bingham Richins, 61 Andrew Edward Nelson, 72 Colleen C. Goodman, 104 Chris Tomczyk, 33 Jeff M Peterson, 166 Francis City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Scott Ian Buchanan, 26 Justin Ciampi, 47 Riley J. Atkinson, 149 Lynsi Stone, 98 Shana Jai Fryer, 83 Clayton Wilson Querry, 98 Henefer Mayor (top 2 move on): James Alfre Rees, 95 Kay H. Richins (incumbent), 119 Dawn M. Langston, 9 Park City City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on) Diego Zegarra, 799 Jeremy Rubell, 545 Beth Armstrong, 459 Molly Miller. 360 John 'J.K.' Kenworthy, 467 Danny Glasser, 442 Tana Toly, 909 Ian Hartley, 165 Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mamdani pressed on pledge to be Trump's 'worst nightmare' and landlord pushback on rent freeze plan
New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was pressed Tuesday on his pledge to be President Trump's "worst nightmare" along with his plan to freeze rent, which has been criticized by many landlords in the city. "What I've said time and again is I will not take a reflexive approach in refusing to speak to any one person, depending on their politics," Mamdani told Fox News National Correspondent Brian Llenas at a Tuesday press conference when asked about his previous claim that his administration will be Trump's "worst nightmare" and if that threat rings hollow given the amount of federal power and funding the president yields. "I am looking to work with anyone so long as it's to the benefit of New Yorkers," Mamdani continued. "That's the distinction between myself and Andrew Cuomo. One of many is that he called Donald Trump not on the question of how can we serve New York City, not on the question of how can we protect this city from these cuts, but rather, how could we work together to subvert the will of Democratic primary voters?" Llenas followed up by asking how voters can be assured Mamdani won't be reflexive and can work with the White House, given he is currently on a press tour across the city's five boroughs specifically attacking Trump. Mamdani's Past 'Visceral Disdain' For Police 'Scares A Lot Of New Yorkers' For Good Reason: Nyc Crime Expert "What this tour is reflective of is the fact that Donald Trump is attacking this city," Mamdani answered. "It's attacking its people. It's attacking the very fabric of what we call home. And we've spoken about it in a fiscal sense, in terms of what it will mean to steal food from the hungry, what it will mean to throw sick people off of their insurance, what it will mean to make it even more difficult to afford the city. And so, yes, this is a tour against the Trump administration's attack on New York City voters." Read On The Fox News App Mamdani added that if Trump "wants to pick up the phone" to work on issues like cheap groceries that he is "willing to work with him on that" but it cannot be a "partnership at the expense of the people in the city." Mamdani has faced strong criticism, including from New York Apartment Association CEO Kenny Burgos in a recent interview with Fox News Digital, about his plan to "freeze" rent in the city for some New Yorkers. Cuomo Flips Script On Mamdani For Owning Property In Uganda Despite Its Anti-lgbt Laws: 'Silence Is Violence' Mamdani was asked what he would say to those who argue rent freezes keep housing supply lower while denying landlords and builders the necessary funds to build more housing or maintain their properties, a concern echoed by Burgos in his comments to Fox News Digital. "The rent freezes that we're speaking about, these are rent freezes that have already taken place in New York City," Mamdani answered. "They happened three times under the previous administration. The issues that we're having of housing supply, these are long-term issues in New York City, some of which have to do with politics and policy. Some of which also have to do with process." "And these are critically important for us to confront as the leaders of this city, because what we are seeing is a vacancy rate that is so low that it is suffocating the city's ability to continue to grow and ensure that we can welcome more people here." Mamdani continued by saying what he has "heard from landlords" is primary concerns about insurance. "The fact that insurance has doubled in recent years and I see an example in a number of those landlords coming together to create their own insurance entity," Mamdani said. "I may butcher the name, but Milford Street Captive, which has managed to reduce insurance costs, that's something that the city can build upon with more significant investment." "I've also heard from these same landlords that an issue they have is not that a tenant cannot afford the 3 or 4 or 5% increase that the Rent Guidelines Board is passing, as per the directive from Eric Adams. It's that there are some tenants who can't afford their rent at all," Mamdani said. Mamdani went on to call for more rent vouchers, saying that there are "so many" New Yorkers living in rent-stabilized housing that can benefit from CityFHEPS. "That could actually increase the amount of money that these landlords take home in rent, but the city hasn't paid enough," Mamdani said. "Those previous rent freezes were temporary, were they not?," Mamdani was pressed by Llenas. "I've spoken about a four-year rent freeze," Mamdani responded before moving on to the next article source: Mamdani pressed on pledge to be Trump's 'worst nightmare' and landlord pushback on rent freeze plan
Fox News
17 hours ago
- Fox News
Mamdani pressed on pledge to be Trump's 'worst nightmare' and landlord pushback on rent freeze plan
New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was pressed Tuesday on his pledge to be President Trump's "worst nightmare" along with his plan to freeze rent, which has been criticized by many landlords in the city. "What I've said time and again is I will not take a reflexive approach in refusing to speak to any one person, depending on their politics," Mamdani told Fox News National Correspondent Brian Llenas at a Tuesday press conference when asked about his previous claim that his administration will be Trump's "worst nightmare" and if that threat rings hollow given the amount of federal power and funding the president yields. "I am looking to work with anyone so long as it's to the benefit of New Yorkers," Mamdani continued. "That's the distinction between myself and Andrew Cuomo. One of many is that he called Donald Trump not on the question of how can we serve New York City, not on the question of how can we protect this city from these cuts, but rather, how could we work together to subvert the will of Democratic primary voters?" Llenas followed up by asking how voters can be assured Mamdani won't be reflexive and can work with the White House, given he is currently on a press tour across the city's five boroughs specifically attacking Trump. "What this tour is reflective of is the fact that Donald Trump is attacking this city," Mamdani answered. "It's attacking its people. It's attacking the very fabric of what we call home. And we've spoken about it in a fiscal sense, in terms of what it will mean to steal food from the hungry, what it will mean to throw sick people off of their insurance, what it will mean to make it even more difficult to afford the city. And so, yes, this is a tour against the Trump administration's attack on New York City voters." Mamdani added that if Trump "wants to pick up the phone" to work on issues like cheap groceries that he is "willing to work with him on that" but it cannot be a "partnership at the expense of the people in the city." Mamdani has faced strong criticism, including from New York Apartment Association CEO Kenny Burgos in a recent interview with Fox News Digital, about his plan to "freeze" rent in the city for some New Yorkers. Mamdani was asked what he would say to those who argue rent freezes keep housing supply lower while denying landlords and builders the necessary funds to build more housing or maintain their properties, a concern echoed by Burgos in his comments to Fox News Digital. "The rent freezes that we're speaking about, these are rent freezes that have already taken place in New York City," Mamdani answered. "They happened three times under the previous administration. The issues that we're having of housing supply, these are long-term issues in New York City, some of which have to do with politics and policy. Some of which also have to do with process." "And these are critically important for us to confront as the leaders of this city, because what we are seeing is a vacancy rate that is so low that it is suffocating the city's ability to continue to grow and ensure that we can welcome more people here." Mamdani continued by saying what he has "heard from landlords" is primary concerns about insurance. "The fact that insurance has doubled in recent years and I see an example in a number of those landlords coming together to create their own insurance entity," Mamdani said. "I may butcher the name, but Milford Street Captive, which has managed to reduce insurance costs, that's something that the city can build upon with more significant investment." "I've also heard from these same landlords that an issue they have is not that a tenant cannot afford the 3 or 4 or 5% increase that the Rent Guidelines Board is passing, as per the directive from Eric Adams. It's that there are some tenants who can't afford their rent at all," Mamdani said. Mamdani went on to call for more rent vouchers, saying that there are "so many" New Yorkers living in rent-stabilized housing that can benefit from CityFHEPS. "That could actually increase the amount of money that these landlords take home in rent, but the city hasn't paid enough," Mamdani said. "Those previous rent freezes were temporary, were they not?," Mamdani was pressed by Llenas. "I've spoken about a four-year rent freeze," Mamdani responded before moving on to the next question.
