New York Post, Hannah Fierick, July 20, 2026

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s latest pro-tenant outreach is just more “performative politics” and dismally fails NYCHA and Mitchell-Lama residents battling rent hikes and horror conditions, furious New Yorkers say.

The administration’s “campaign to build tenant power” invites volunteers to door-knock buildings with open violations to try to demand action while urging city tenants to attend meetings to learn about organizing.

But the push — spearheaded by the mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement — fails to specifically address financially struggling residents in city-run NYCHA housing and those assisted by the local, state and federally aided Mitchell-Lama program, critics said.

“For our so-called ‘socialist’ mayor to leave out the most vulnerable tenants — seniors, disabled and lower-income people of color — is not just beyond comprehension, it’s intentional,” said Marni Halasa, a member of the Save Chelsea Public Housing Coalition.

The office of Mass Engagement wrote in a press release, “The campaign builds on Mayor Mamdani’s Rental Ripoff hearings, where tenants across all five boroughs described the conditions they have endured, from mold and vermin to broken elevators, chronic heat outages and years of landlord neglect.’

Yet nowhere in the office’s press release— nor on the city’s website announcing it — are NYCHA or Mitchell-Lama mentioned.

NYCHA buildings have a whopping 61,915 open mold and leak work orders, according to a July report from the federal monitor.

The report also found unplanned heating outages increased 32% year over year, and nearly half of all apartments tested positive for lead paint.

As for Mitchell-Lama tenants, city Housing and Preservation Department Commissioner Dina Levy recently revealed that the tenants of one Bronx building, Tracey Towers, face a staggering rent increase of 31%.

“These tenants deserve the same commitment to an affordability agenda as everyone else in New York City,” said Councilman Eric Dinowitz (D-11), who represents Tracey Towers’ district.

City Hall responded by noting there were a group of hearings held by the administration and NYCHA this year during which residents had the chance to connect with NYCHA staff one-on-one.

The Mamdani administration noted there would be more of the hearings to come in the fall.

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