By Cindy Bregin Crouch
Emmy Winning Investigative Reporter
November 6, 2025
For Zohran Mamdani it was soothing sailing winning the race for Mayor in New York City. It wasn’t even close. Now Mayor Mamdani must make good on a package of promises he baited voters with. Can he make these lofty promises come true? Many say no.
Here are just a few of the things he promised voters he would enact if voted into office:
- free public transportations on city buses making them “fast and free”
- government run grocery stores
- rent freezes
- $30.00 minimum wage
- free child care
- $5 billion corporate tax
Let’s just call it straight. New York City is strapped. Younger voters came out of the woodwork to vote for the 34-year-old socialist. His ‘everything is free’ polices are so radical President Trump labeled him a communist.
So what about those free bus rides? Mamdani himself cannot make that happen alone. The Metropolitan Transit Authority is in charge of all public transportation in New York City. Mamdani will need to work with the MTA to make any progress on this progress. Mamdani can’t wave a widget magic wand and declare the buses free for all. Bus fares fall under the purview of the MTA.
Younger voters were really geeked about government run grocery stores. His campaign promise was a five-store network of city-run grocery stores. The stores would be located on city-owned land and would be exempt from rent and property taxes. Mamdani says the stores will procure products at cost. There is no plan in place to turn a profit.
Many experts note grocery stores already operate on razor thin margins. There is already dissension in the ranks. Another expert thinks five stores is not enough and Mamdani should aim higher to around 20 grocery stores. Where is the money coming from for all of above? No one seems to know.
During his campaign Mamdani promised, “We will redirect city funds from corporate supermarkets to city-owned grocery stores whose mission is lower prices, not price gouging. Grocery prices are out of control. The cost of eggs and milk has skyrocketed. Some stores are even using dynamic pricing, jacking up the cost over the course of the day, depending on when they can get away with. It doesn’t need to be this way.”
Errol Schwelzer formerly led Whole Foods grocery merchandizing division. He says Mamdani’s vision is indeed the right move.
A taxpayer-funded grocery store in Kansas City failed. What went wrong? High crime and lack of profitability killed that store, despite receiving millions in economic development dollars.
Another of many Mamdani’s promises was universal: zero fee child care. Parents needing childcare love the idea but again Mamdani’s child care plan is very short on actual funding details.
Rent freezes are another area where Mamdani would need the help of others to make this campaign promise a reality.
Are you starting to see a pattern?
Is the picture getting clearer?
Did Zohran Mamdani promise all of this when he knew he could enact almost none of it on his own?
Many fear that is truly the case.
Did New Yorkers get duped? Many funding experts fear that is exactly the case.
