Andrew Stern

The Most Important Question on the New York City Ballot Isn’t About the Mayor Vote "YES" on Questions 2, 3, 4, and 5.

While the New York City mayoral election increasingly seems like a done deal, the fate of three pro-housing charter amendments remains up in the air. I explain what they do, and why they matter. Vote YES on Questions 2, 3, and 4! open.substack.com/pub/mnolangr...

But these don’t apply to any HTC projects?

Housing is on the ballot: See who's fighting for a more affordable New York City -> Mayor Zohran Mamdani Comptroller Mark Levine Borough President Manhattan Brad Hoylman-Sigal Brooklyn Antonio Reynoso Queens Donovan Richards VOTE YES ON BALLOT PROPS 2-5

Polls are open, and your vote can make a real difference for housing in NYC. From @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social down, here's your guide to the candidates fighting for a more affordable city:

hahaha - yeah I couldn’t figure out why nobody had taken it (cost 80% less than comparable signs?) but the ~65lb weight helped explain that

Very cool to own a genuine NYC subway sign—thank you to Andrew Stern for buying this for me and to Amtrak for helping get it to DC

Now to find a way to hang this monster up lol

Not a really tough choice on the ballot propositions... Vote YES on 2-5!

I do not want to be aligned with the Republican Candidate, Curtis Sliwa, and neither should you!

You couldn't ask for a better endorsement of Ballot Props 2-5 than Sliwa going on an unhinged rant about them. Is Adrienne Adams still sure she wants to hitch her wagon to that sinking ship?

Not specifically about the ballot props... but not not about them either

I think this is completely off-base given that Lander is currently pushing for pro-housing ballot measures in spite of opposition from Council NIMBYs

Indian Point owner floats restart of shuttered nuclear reactors Holtec, the company decommissioning the plant, says it would need state and federal backing to rebuild the plant.

Andrew Cuomo was a climate disaster for New York, and cleaning up his mess is going to cost the state billions: “Five years after Indian Point started shutting down, the company charged with dismantling the nuclear plant says it could still be restarted — at an estimated cost of $10 billion.”

For New York to remain a queer haven, we must build more homes People move to New York because they believe in certain promises: a place where you’re free to be yourself, to thrive, and to find community. Especially for

New York City calls itself a refuge for queer and trans Americans, but that promise is at risk if we don't take on the housing crisis head on. Read my op-ed about the need to build more housing to reduce rents, in this case, via the OneLIC project: gaycitynews.com/new-york-rem...

Asking for the group: Has the Board of Elections ever attempted to disqualify charter revisions before? I can't remember the machinery even asking previously.

IMO and *not* a lawyer: But this reads to me like the power of crafting the questions is left with the Charter Commission

"[T]he charter commission *shall* prescribe the form of the questions to be submitted, which shall be such as clearly to indicate the effect of their approval."

Stop the BOE from Silencing Voters on Housing! 🚨Stop the BOE from Silencing Voters on Housing🚨 The Republican commissioners on the NYC Board of Elections, joined by disgraced former Democratic boss Frank Seddio—once called the “King of Corruption”...

It’s not just Republicans in Washington and Texas who are undermining our democracy—it’s happening right here in NYC.

Tell the Board of Elections to do their job, follow the law, and let New Yorkers decide our housing future: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Another W for education/openness to experience polarization

What if there were a way for communities to provide input by electing people whose job it was to make these decisions?

“Don’t make me tap the sign” meme Sign reads: TOURISTS SAVE UP MONEY ALL YEAR, COME TO NYC TO SPEND IT, CREATING JOBS AND TAX REVENUE WHILE CONSUMING NO SOCIAL SERVICES

Tourism is good.

The 14th Street Busway has been a smashing success: faster commutes, fewer crashes, calmer streets.

So why is Eric Adams blocking a similar plan for 34th Street?

This video is amazing but the buried lede is that Zohran is unabashedly pro-tourism (as all mayors should be!)

USAID didn’t fail. It fed 127,000 kids—then was erased mid-crisis. No speech. No tribute. Just silence. They didn’t end a program. They liquidated a covenant. The last American promise not built on conquest—but care.
🔗 thelastmilewithusaid.substack.com

Headline from Hell Gate: It's YIMBY vs. NIMBY in Lower Manhattan's City Council Race Incumbent Christopher Marte's anti-development positions have earned him some loyal fans—as well as challengers from the pro-growth movement within the Democratic Party. Erin Durkin May 20, 2025

Chris Marte was the only council member from Manhattan to vote against City of Yes, which would unlock new affordable homes across NYC.

He’s blocked more than a thousand homes and opposed affordable senior housing on Elizabeth Street, falsely claiming it would cause gentrification.

the NY Dems intentionally threw the House by prioritizing safe seats over maximizing the number of Democratic seats. their legislative delegation is in charge of both the House and Senate Dems.

Amid bid to save Elizabeth St. Garden, Adams aide Randy Mastro finds a plan “B” for housing Randy Mastro, Mayor Adams’ top deputy at City Hall, is seriously exploring a proposal to spare Manhattan’s Elizabeth Street Garden from an affordable housing development by instead buil…

New: Randy Mastro, Mayor Adams’ top aide, is seriously exploring a proposal to spare Manhattan’s Elizabeth St. Garden from an affordable housing development by instead building the apartments on a nearby lot once reserved for a public school, per sources. www.nydailynews.com/2025/05/13/a...

This 1/8 of a square mile (80 acres) currently has 6,285 apartments under construction, in five towers over 500 feet and 5 more over 300 feet. An eleventh tower with another 432 apartments has piles being driven.

Is there anything like this anywhere else in the US?

The YIGBY Movement—Unlocking Church-Owned Land for Affordable Housing Interest in faith-based development is spreading across the country. How do YIGBY zoning laws work and what could it mean for communities?

It’s 2025 and we’re still telling churches they can’t build affordable homes for their congregants.

We need YIGBY in every state, like, yesterday.

Open New York Endorses: Jess Coleman - 1st City Council District Erik Bottcher - 3rd City Council District Ben Wetzler - 4th City Council District Shaun Abreu - 7th City Council District Elsie Encarnacion - 8th City Council District Shirley Aldebol - 13th City Council District Pierina Sanchez - 14th City Council District Amanda Farias - 18th City Council District Lincoln Restler - 33rd City Council District Crystal Hudson - 35th City Council District Shahana Hanif - 39th City Council District Chi Ossé - 36th City Council District Photos of each candidate are above their names, with a drawn outline of New York City in the background. Open New York's logo is on the bottom right.

THREAD: Today, we’re proud to announce our 2025 endorsements for New York City Council.

This slate of 12 housing champions—twice as many as last cycle—will be supported by our grassroots members and over half a million dollars from our IE @abundantny.bsky.social

He signed the filing. This is such a joke.

Why is NYC's first deputy mayor representing New Jersey?

Randy Mastro wants New York to have more traffic. He wants New Yorkers to have longer commutes. He wants to starve our transit system of funding.

Additionally, some courts consider whether the stay would simplify the issues and how far the lawsuit to be stayed has progressed. See Akishev v. Kapustin, 23 F. Supp. 3d 440, 446 (D.N.J. 2014). As discussed above, MTA v. Duffy concerns unrelated claims and thus could not possibly simplify any of the pertinent issues here. Moreover, while this case is nearly concluded, MTA v. Duffy is in its infancy. CONCLUSION For all these reasons, the Court should deny FHWA's Motion to Stay. Dated: New York, New York March 24, 2025 By: Ls/ Randy M. Mastro Randy M. Mastro (NJ Bar No. 011681982) Craig Carpenito (NJ Bar No. 027102000) Jessica Benvenisty (pro hac vice) Lauren Myers (pro hac vice) Camilla Akbari (pro hac vice) KING & SPALDING LLP 1185 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York 10036 Tel. (212) 556-2100 Peter Hsiao (pro hac vice) KING & SPALDING LLP 633 West Fifth Street, Suite 1600 Los Angeles, CA 90071 Tel. (213) 433-4355 KING & SPALDG ELo hac vice) 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 900 Washington, DC 20006-4704 Tel. (202) 737-0500 Attorneys for Plaintiff

this is actually absurd: Randy Mastro, the new first deputy mayor of NYC for Eric Adams is still representing New Jersey’s anti-congestion pricing lawsuit on the side.

this is the ultimate conflict of interest

This is such a key point. Fundamentally to solve the housing crisis we need more redistribution and more housing.