June 17, 2025 • 7 mins
Joe Borelli joins Mendte in the Morning to talk about the NY Times piece about Zohran Mamdani and the NYC Mayoral race.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's talk now to Joe Burrelli, Managing director of Chartwell
Strategy Group and former Minority leader of the New York
City Council. Hey, Joe, what do you what do you
make of The New York Times coming out and saying
Zorin Mamdani's even too crazy for us?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yeah, I mean it's an interesting editorial wherein they don't
really endorse every anyone. They sort of come up with
a list of who's the least worse, and in their estimation,
it seems as though, you know, Cuomo might be the
least worst, with Brad Lander coming in a very close second.
And as you point out the irony, and I think
(00:38):
you framed it right in your opening monologue. Here, this
is a guy who was almost made to be a
New York Times endorsed candidate for mayor because the people
who read The New York Times are all probably supporting
Zoa and Mamdani by like, you know, two to one,
Andrew Cuomo. It just it just the problem with Zohrin's
(01:01):
plan is that it doesn't add up. The reper doesn't
meet the road. When you're you know, talking about magic
and sprinkles and how you're gonna save the city and
and have you know, free grocery stores and things like that.
It just doesn't add up. This is a guy who
was a radical throughout his entire short career in the
state Assembly, and he will govern the mayoralty as a radical,
(01:24):
non a progressive, a.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Radical free everything. And then you're going to tax the
rich and you're gonna chase them all out of the
city and there goes your tax base. And none of it.
You're absolutely right about him. None of what he talks
about makes any sense. But it is so it is
so seductive for somebody who's just barely making it by
(01:47):
or it's so seductive for the liberal mind that he
does well in the polls. I don't think he could
ever be mayor.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
No, And the problem is, you know, God forbid he
is the mayor, right, which is there is a very
good chance that happened. There's a real chance, right. You know,
things like a rent freeze doesn't actually produce more housing,
It doesn't actually solve the housing crisis. Right. I don't
agree with the city of Yes, you know, the mayor
Adams's plan for more density in the city. But objectively,
(02:20):
I'd have to admit that the City of Yes will
add more housing and lower the pressure on the housing market. Right,
That's that's economics one O one Zobrin's plan. We're gonna
freeze the rent for everyone. It's gonna create fewer houses,
create you know, a worse housing stock with buildings that
are crumbling, and like, finally the New York Times just
(02:42):
calls them out and says this is not gonna work.
I'm afraid for the future, Larry. I mean, we've talked
about this week after week. I can come out and
say now, I'm very afraid for the future of New York.
I said this a few months ago. We're gonna be
in a position where where Eric Adams is the best
choice for mayor. He might very well be. Certainly I'll
be supporting probably Curtis Leewa in the race. But we
(03:04):
are in this position where we have people that are
far worse than anything we've ever seen on the ballot.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I will tell you this. We just talked to Curtis
about an hour ago, and Curtis and I believe him.
Curtis is convinced he can win this, and nobody's paying
attention to him right now. But he's been out in
the outer Burroughs talking about things that are important to them.
He just was on the air a second ago talking
about Staten Island and the fact that they all laughed
(03:31):
about Staten Island during the Democratic primary. I do believe
he has a real shot. I don't think this is
this is bluster. Do you believe it, Joe.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
I do think he has a real shot, and getting
a plurality of votes is very possible for him. And
I've told him this in private. I've told him this
in public. He's taken some of my suggestions, some of
them I still want to see. But he needs to
stop going, you know, only to Staten Island, only the
neighborhood where he gets a positive reception. He's got to
go to other neighborhoods, just like Donald Trump did. Right,
(04:05):
Donald Trump did a rally in the South Bronx, an
area that's not known for its Republicanism, and he's got
to talk about the For example, if Staten Island. In
parts of Brooklyn, he's talking about public safety, great, battery
storage great. These aren't issues in other parts of the
city that he feels he might need to win. And
he does need to win, so he needs to identify
(04:28):
those core issues that are driving voters away from the
Democratic Party, and they're gonna be different in every community,
ethnic community, and every neighborhood. He's got to, you know,
basically figure out what those are and beat the drum
on them from now until November.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
And he has been and I'll tell you what, he's
going to skate through and he's gonna nobody. The mud
that's being slung in this race is going to be
among the Democrats. He's going through and he's going to
be clean. Nobody's going after him right now until the
first poll comes out and shows he has a real shot.
Then they'll start to come after him. But right now
(05:03):
he gets to just campaign freely and not have to
worry about any attacks. And I think that's a real
and a strong benefit for him right now. Let them
all eat their own well. He skates through.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
And the criticism of him is that he's you know,
a little kookie, a little out there, right, you know what,
People are willing to give that a shot when they're
faced with the community they lived in their whole life
fundamentally changing for the worst. If you're a renter or
a homeowner, especially if you're a homeowner, you PLoP your
life savings, you know, on a home in Springfield, Gardens,
(05:37):
Queens or wherever you live, and you are now under
threat that your way of life, your neighborhood is going
to change for the worst. Yeah, you're willing to go
with a guy who's you know, biggest criticism against him
is that he's a little kookie and a little out there.
You know, we gave it a shot with Donald Trump.
A lot of people will say he's cookie and out there,
and darn it, he's doing a much better job than
(05:58):
than Kamala Harris would have been. And I think that's
an objective reality. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
I'll take kooky over dangerous anytime. One last thing, Letitia
James going after some local cops for working with ICE.
Every time the Democrats seem to be on the wrong
side of every issue. Working with ICE, I think is
supported by most of the people in this community, and
now she wants to bring charges against them.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yeah. I mean, this is her to me signaling that
she's never gonna run for anything ever again, because this
is the kind of stuff that will eliminate any chance
of her ever running for a statewide office that she
doesn't already have or a city wide office because this is,
as he pointed out, an eighty twenty issue where you know,
an overwhelming majority of New Yorkers, including New Yorkers who
(06:42):
are non white people of color, agree that we should
be cooperating with cederal law enforcement, especially when it involves
corralling up people who have been convicted of additional primes
in addition to coming here illegally. It's a stupid play
by the Attorney General. I don't know what happened to her.
When she was in the city. She was a lovely woman,
(07:02):
very popular amongst her colleagues, not too radical, just a
good person. And then you know, ever since she decided
to go after the Trump family in twenty twenty one,
it has just been nothing but downhill from her. And
this might be the look.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Yeah, she seems to have only one play in her playbook,
but anyway, Joe BURRELLI, Managing director Chartwell Strategy Group and
former Minority Leader of the New York City Council, Thanks
so much. I always enjoy talking to you, Joe.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Thank you. Larry
Let's talk now to Joe Burrelli, Managing director of Chartwell
Strategy Group and former Minority leader of the New York
City Council. Hey, Joe, what do you what do you
make of The New York Times coming out and saying
Zorin Mamdani's even too crazy for us?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yeah, I mean it's an interesting editorial wherein they don't
really endorse every anyone. They sort of come up with
a list of who's the least worse, and in their estimation,
it seems as though, you know, Cuomo might be the
least worst, with Brad Lander coming in a very close second.
And as you point out the irony, and I think
(00:38):
you framed it right in your opening monologue. Here, this
is a guy who was almost made to be a
New York Times endorsed candidate for mayor because the people
who read The New York Times are all probably supporting
Zoa and Mamdani by like, you know, two to one,
Andrew Cuomo. It just it just the problem with Zohrin's
(01:01):
plan is that it doesn't add up. The reper doesn't
meet the road. When you're you know, talking about magic
and sprinkles and how you're gonna save the city and
and have you know, free grocery stores and things like that.
It just doesn't add up. This is a guy who
was a radical throughout his entire short career in the
state Assembly, and he will govern the mayoralty as a radical,
(01:24):
non a progressive, a.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Radical free everything. And then you're going to tax the
rich and you're gonna chase them all out of the
city and there goes your tax base. And none of it.
You're absolutely right about him. None of what he talks
about makes any sense. But it is so it is
so seductive for somebody who's just barely making it by
(01:47):
or it's so seductive for the liberal mind that he
does well in the polls. I don't think he could
ever be mayor.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
No, And the problem is, you know, God forbid he
is the mayor, right, which is there is a very
good chance that happened. There's a real chance, right. You know,
things like a rent freeze doesn't actually produce more housing,
It doesn't actually solve the housing crisis. Right. I don't
agree with the city of Yes, you know, the mayor
Adams's plan for more density in the city. But objectively,
(02:20):
I'd have to admit that the City of Yes will
add more housing and lower the pressure on the housing market. Right,
That's that's economics one O one Zobrin's plan. We're gonna
freeze the rent for everyone. It's gonna create fewer houses,
create you know, a worse housing stock with buildings that
are crumbling, and like, finally the New York Times just
(02:42):
calls them out and says this is not gonna work.
I'm afraid for the future, Larry. I mean, we've talked
about this week after week. I can come out and
say now, I'm very afraid for the future of New York.
I said this a few months ago. We're gonna be
in a position where where Eric Adams is the best
choice for mayor. He might very well be. Certainly I'll
be supporting probably Curtis Leewa in the race. But we
(03:04):
are in this position where we have people that are
far worse than anything we've ever seen on the ballot.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I will tell you this. We just talked to Curtis
about an hour ago, and Curtis and I believe him.
Curtis is convinced he can win this, and nobody's paying
attention to him right now. But he's been out in
the outer Burroughs talking about things that are important to them.
He just was on the air a second ago talking
about Staten Island and the fact that they all laughed
(03:31):
about Staten Island during the Democratic primary. I do believe
he has a real shot. I don't think this is
this is bluster. Do you believe it, Joe.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
I do think he has a real shot, and getting
a plurality of votes is very possible for him. And
I've told him this in private. I've told him this
in public. He's taken some of my suggestions, some of
them I still want to see. But he needs to
stop going, you know, only to Staten Island, only the
neighborhood where he gets a positive reception. He's got to
go to other neighborhoods, just like Donald Trump did. Right,
(04:05):
Donald Trump did a rally in the South Bronx, an
area that's not known for its Republicanism, and he's got
to talk about the For example, if Staten Island. In
parts of Brooklyn, he's talking about public safety, great, battery
storage great. These aren't issues in other parts of the
city that he feels he might need to win. And
he does need to win, so he needs to identify
(04:28):
those core issues that are driving voters away from the
Democratic Party, and they're gonna be different in every community,
ethnic community, and every neighborhood. He's got to, you know,
basically figure out what those are and beat the drum
on them from now until November.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
And he has been and I'll tell you what, he's
going to skate through and he's gonna nobody. The mud
that's being slung in this race is going to be
among the Democrats. He's going through and he's going to
be clean. Nobody's going after him right now until the
first poll comes out and shows he has a real shot.
Then they'll start to come after him. But right now
(05:03):
he gets to just campaign freely and not have to
worry about any attacks. And I think that's a real
and a strong benefit for him right now. Let them
all eat their own well. He skates through.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
And the criticism of him is that he's you know,
a little kookie, a little out there, right, you know what,
People are willing to give that a shot when they're
faced with the community they lived in their whole life
fundamentally changing for the worst. If you're a renter or
a homeowner, especially if you're a homeowner, you PLoP your
life savings, you know, on a home in Springfield, Gardens,
(05:37):
Queens or wherever you live, and you are now under
threat that your way of life, your neighborhood is going
to change for the worst. Yeah, you're willing to go
with a guy who's you know, biggest criticism against him
is that he's a little kookie and a little out there.
You know, we gave it a shot with Donald Trump.
A lot of people will say he's cookie and out there,
and darn it, he's doing a much better job than
(05:58):
than Kamala Harris would have been. And I think that's
an objective reality. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
I'll take kooky over dangerous anytime. One last thing, Letitia
James going after some local cops for working with ICE.
Every time the Democrats seem to be on the wrong
side of every issue. Working with ICE, I think is
supported by most of the people in this community, and
now she wants to bring charges against them.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yeah. I mean, this is her to me signaling that
she's never gonna run for anything ever again, because this
is the kind of stuff that will eliminate any chance
of her ever running for a statewide office that she
doesn't already have or a city wide office because this is,
as he pointed out, an eighty twenty issue where you know,
an overwhelming majority of New Yorkers, including New Yorkers who
(06:42):
are non white people of color, agree that we should
be cooperating with cederal law enforcement, especially when it involves
corralling up people who have been convicted of additional primes
in addition to coming here illegally. It's a stupid play
by the Attorney General. I don't know what happened to her.
When she was in the city. She was a lovely woman,
(07:02):
very popular amongst her colleagues, not too radical, just a
good person. And then you know, ever since she decided
to go after the Trump family in twenty twenty one,
it has just been nothing but downhill from her. And
this might be the look.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Yeah, she seems to have only one play in her playbook,
but anyway, Joe BURRELLI, Managing director Chartwell Strategy Group and
former Minority Leader of the New York City Council, Thanks
so much. I always enjoy talking to you, Joe.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Thank you. Larry
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