New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani doesn’t appear to be in a hurry to build strong relations with the local real estate industry – the recently inaugurated Democratic Socialist who campaigned on a platform that emphasized rent freezes skipped the Real Estate Board of New York’s (REBNY) annual gala.
Bisnow.com reports the event, now in its 130th iteration, attracts the city’s leading landlords and developers. While previous mayors made it a point to attend this function, Mamdani sent members of his administration including Deputy Mayors Leila Bozorg and Julia Kerson, Housing Preservation and Development and Department of Buildings Commissioners Dina Levy and Ahmed Tigani, City Planning Executive Director Edith Hsu-Chen and Landmarks Preservation Commission Executive Director Lisa Kersavage.
Mamdani’s absence from the Thursday gala was not a surprise. Last Monday, when asked by reporters if he was going to attend, he responded, “What I can tell you, however, is that the housing crisis is going to take all of us. It’s going to take the private sector, building in a way that they haven’t been able to for years before. It’s also going to take the public sector, understanding that we need to build truly affordable housing.”
REBNY President James Whelan issued a statement saying his organization was “pleased” with the presence of city officials while adding, “We look forward to hosting Mayor Mamdani at future events.”
