New York’s Mayor-Elect Relies on Establishment Budget Veteran Amid Ambitious Socialist Agenda

New York City stands at a crossroads as Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old self-described democratic socialist, appoints Dean Fuleihan—a 74-year-old former deputy mayor and budget director under Bill de Blasio—as his first deputy mayor. This choice signals an attempt to ground Mamdani’s sweeping, ambitious agenda within the hardened wisdom of decades-long government experience.Is Experience Enough to Ground Radical Promises?Mamdani’s campaign promised free child care, free public buses, and city-run grocery stores, proposals that critics have labeled as financially unrealistic at best. By selecting Fuleihan—a man synonymous with the complexities of New York’s notoriously strained budget processes—Mamdani acknowledges the enormous challenge...