Gov. Kathy Hochul batted away questions about being pegged as the “fall man” in Zohran Mamdani’s pressure campaign to tax the rich — saying publicly she’s not “frustrated” by political posturing by the mayor and his comrades.
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Speaking to reporters and flanked by Hizzoner on Thursday, the governor again tried to play down the very public disconnect between her and the far-left mayor of New York City when it comes to jacking up taxes on the rich.
“I know how to do this. The legislature, for example, has put in tax increases every year since I have been governor,” she said, adding, “I know how to negotiate.”
“I know how to get to the results that I need that I think are the best for New Yorkers.”
Hochul, who is up for re-election this year, has repeatedly said she would not sign off on a tax increase, even after Mamdani threatened to raise property taxes across the five boroughs if the governor did not give in.
Mamdani has claimed the money is needed to close a purported $5.4 billion budget gap.
In private, Hochul and her people have voiced frustration over the situation — as Mamdani has pushed city lawmakers to direct their ire at Albany after he proposed a nearly 10% property tax increase.
But publicly, the two have played nice.
“This is not a frustrated face,” Hochul said Thursday. “I am not frustrated. I’ll say this: There are ongoing conversations with the mayor’s team, his budget team, my budget team.”
Mamdani has repeatedly praised the governor, who found an extra $1.5 billion to ship down to NYC to help with the budget, and another $1 billion that she used to deliver the young mayor an early win by setting up a 2K pilot program.
The comment by the gov echoed that of Mamdani’s first deputy earlier in the day, who told attendees at a New York City Law School breakfast that City Hall and Albany have had positive conversations to close the budget gap.
