March 21, 2025 • 7 mins
Robert Holden talks with Mendte in the Morning about New York’s top court striking down a law that would have allowed non NYC citizens to vote in NYC elections.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Back in twenty twenty one, you may remember this, the
New York City Council passed a measure called Our City,
Our Vote that gave municipal voting rights to non citizens
with Green cards, work authorizations, and DACA recipients. They were
able to vote. So non citizens were able to vote
(00:21):
in our elections. That's so one of the first times
that's happened in American history. Well, it was just struck
down by the High Court. And let's talk about that
now with Robert Holden, who is the New York City
Council member and co chair of the New York City
Council Common Sense Caucus. Robert, your reaction to what the
(00:43):
High Court.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Did, Well, again, we have to celebrate that because I
voted against that bill in twenty twenty one and I
thought it was ridiculous. And if you look at the details,
you just had to be in New York City for
thirty days to be allowed to vote in New York
City elections. Thirty days. That means that Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil,
(01:07):
who President Trump wants wanted to deport and rightfully so
he would be able to vote. You know somebody that
wants to overthrow Western civilization could vote in New York
City elections. I mean, this is how absurd this is.
And that was your Donnis Rodriguez, who now the New
York City Department of Transportation commissioner. He's the one who
(01:29):
introduced that bill. And luckily the court's you know, I
was one of the plaintiffs. I was the only Democratic
elected official who certainly was on the you know, was
on the lawsuit. And we won, and I think it's
now over. But Mayor Adams appealed twice when the lower
(01:51):
court decided with us, and he appealed to twice, and
we told him you shouldn't appeal this, this is ridiculous,
and he kept doing he kept wasting city money on
this appeal. But finally the higher court obviously struck it down.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Now do you think this is going to be taken
to the US Supreme Court?
Speaker 2 (02:11):
No, I don't. I think I mean, if Mayor Adams
wants to do that, I mean, he could probably do it,
but it's a tremendous waste of money. I think. No.
I think he's going to just say, okay, you know,
we we have to agree with the higher court. I
don't know if he was dug in because I think
he was being pressured on the on the far left,
and certainly his commissioner, who's made a terrible you know,
(02:34):
dot commissioner Eudonis Rodriguez, who's, like I said, was the
author of that bill when he was in the council,
was pushing him to appeal. But I'm glad, you know,
I hope that he's not going to appeal as the
Supreme Court right because it was ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Absolutely absolutely, it never made any sense. It was blasted.
It made New York City look silly across the country
because it was ridiculed all across the country. It makes you,
it makes you wonder what it was in the first place.
Was it just politics because the people on the city
Council knew that those voters, those eight hundred thousand new
(03:11):
voters would vote for them.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
That's exactly it. And that's what I thought, and that's
what many people thought. That they just want extra voters.
This is why they had the open borders in the
first place. Too. More people come in that are going
to vote for the Democrats. That's let's bring them all in.
Let's let's keep the borders open. Let's get you know,
tens of thousands or you know, millions into this country.
So that's why this was very important to you know,
(03:37):
certainly strike down this lag which was we felt was
unconstitutional at least, you know, at least in New York.
But they're not going to stop. They're going to keep
coming up with these bills the far left, and you know,
that's what we have to. That's why we have to.
That's why I was glad to be a plaintiff on it.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Let's talk about congestion pricing because the deadline that was
supposed to be today has been pushed back by the
Trump administration. He says, they're continuing to talk with the
Hocal administration. I would love to get your read on
what you think is going on.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Well, this is the way you know, President Trump operates.
He you know, he negotiates and you can see what
he's doing here, and you know, I don't you know,
people are upset about well, you know, why did he
give them a thirty day extension. Well, he likes them
to squirm a bit, you know. Cocol certainly the governor said,
well you know what, we may you know, we may
(04:33):
hold up your federal funding unless you agree to eliminate
congestion pricing, or let's bring the he puts the other
things on the table. He puts the Constitution pipeline that
was eliminated by Governor Cuomo in twenty sixteen, which actually
(04:54):
pushed the prices of gas up in New York State.
So he's he wants to the President Trump up is
now bringing in another thing. I want to know, reactivate
those pipelines, or what about nuclear energy. Let's let's try
to open up some you know, smaller nuclear energy plants
in New York State to lower the cost of electricity
(05:15):
or or you know, certainly with gas. So he's bringing
other things in here, which is good. I think for
you know, we're going to be the winners in New
York State because we pay high prices, the highest prices
in the nation, mostly for energy and everything else. And
congestion pricing was just bringing more costs to delivering goods
and so forth and so on. So it's pushing up
(05:37):
inflation in New York State and that's why people are leaving.
So I think the you know, the President, I'm with
him on this. If he can get our energy costs lower,
if he could eliminate congestion pricing by any means necessary
do it.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
I'm trying to figure out what Kathy Hochel's doing with
congestion pricing because the Siena Poul shows it's unpopular in
the state that's where she has to run for reelection.
And if most people in the state, almost fifty percent,
don't want it, why is she pushing for this in
the first place.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Again, it's it's the mismanagement of the MTA. She's trying
to save it that way, which I think they have
to get their house in order. They lose about seven
hundred million a year in fair evasion. I have bus
drivers in my district who are telling us that sixty
percent now of the people going on their bus routes
or their buses don't pay. So what is going on here? Well,
(06:33):
you know, get get your house in order. Let's stop
taxing people to death in New York State. And the
governor's on very thin ice with this. Yeah, and if
the governor, you know, loses federal funding, that's gonna she's
gonna have hell to pay. I mean not only in
because we're gonna, you know, keep going through inflation. But
congestion pricing is not the answer. You know that, Larry Right, I.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Get it, I get it. Yeah, No, you're absolutely right.
Robert hold In, New York City Council member Code share
of the New York's of the Council Common Sense Caucus.
Thanks so much,
Back in twenty twenty one, you may remember this, the
New York City Council passed a measure called Our City,
Our Vote that gave municipal voting rights to non citizens
with Green cards, work authorizations, and DACA recipients. They were
able to vote. So non citizens were able to vote
(00:21):
in our elections. That's so one of the first times
that's happened in American history. Well, it was just struck
down by the High Court. And let's talk about that
now with Robert Holden, who is the New York City
Council member and co chair of the New York City
Council Common Sense Caucus. Robert, your reaction to what the
(00:43):
High Court.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Did, Well, again, we have to celebrate that because I
voted against that bill in twenty twenty one and I
thought it was ridiculous. And if you look at the details,
you just had to be in New York City for
thirty days to be allowed to vote in New York
City elections. Thirty days. That means that Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil,
(01:07):
who President Trump wants wanted to deport and rightfully so
he would be able to vote. You know somebody that
wants to overthrow Western civilization could vote in New York
City elections. I mean, this is how absurd this is.
And that was your Donnis Rodriguez, who now the New
York City Department of Transportation commissioner. He's the one who
(01:29):
introduced that bill. And luckily the court's you know, I
was one of the plaintiffs. I was the only Democratic
elected official who certainly was on the you know, was
on the lawsuit. And we won, and I think it's
now over. But Mayor Adams appealed twice when the lower
(01:51):
court decided with us, and he appealed to twice, and
we told him you shouldn't appeal this, this is ridiculous,
and he kept doing he kept wasting city money on
this appeal. But finally the higher court obviously struck it down.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Now do you think this is going to be taken
to the US Supreme Court?
Speaker 2 (02:11):
No, I don't. I think I mean, if Mayor Adams
wants to do that, I mean, he could probably do it,
but it's a tremendous waste of money. I think. No.
I think he's going to just say, okay, you know,
we we have to agree with the higher court. I
don't know if he was dug in because I think
he was being pressured on the on the far left,
and certainly his commissioner, who's made a terrible you know,
(02:34):
dot commissioner Eudonis Rodriguez, who's, like I said, was the
author of that bill when he was in the council,
was pushing him to appeal. But I'm glad, you know,
I hope that he's not going to appeal as the
Supreme Court right because it was ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Absolutely absolutely, it never made any sense. It was blasted.
It made New York City look silly across the country
because it was ridiculed all across the country. It makes you,
it makes you wonder what it was in the first place.
Was it just politics because the people on the city
Council knew that those voters, those eight hundred thousand new
(03:11):
voters would vote for them.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
That's exactly it. And that's what I thought, and that's
what many people thought. That they just want extra voters.
This is why they had the open borders in the
first place. Too. More people come in that are going
to vote for the Democrats. That's let's bring them all in.
Let's let's keep the borders open. Let's get you know,
tens of thousands or you know, millions into this country.
So that's why this was very important to you know,
(03:37):
certainly strike down this lag which was we felt was
unconstitutional at least, you know, at least in New York.
But they're not going to stop. They're going to keep
coming up with these bills the far left, and you know,
that's what we have to. That's why we have to.
That's why I was glad to be a plaintiff on it.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Let's talk about congestion pricing because the deadline that was
supposed to be today has been pushed back by the
Trump administration. He says, they're continuing to talk with the
Hocal administration. I would love to get your read on
what you think is going on.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Well, this is the way you know, President Trump operates.
He you know, he negotiates and you can see what
he's doing here, and you know, I don't you know,
people are upset about well, you know, why did he
give them a thirty day extension. Well, he likes them
to squirm a bit, you know. Cocol certainly the governor said,
well you know what, we may you know, we may
(04:33):
hold up your federal funding unless you agree to eliminate
congestion pricing, or let's bring the he puts the other
things on the table. He puts the Constitution pipeline that
was eliminated by Governor Cuomo in twenty sixteen, which actually
(04:54):
pushed the prices of gas up in New York State.
So he's he wants to the President Trump up is
now bringing in another thing. I want to know, reactivate
those pipelines, or what about nuclear energy. Let's let's try
to open up some you know, smaller nuclear energy plants
in New York State to lower the cost of electricity
(05:15):
or or you know, certainly with gas. So he's bringing
other things in here, which is good. I think for
you know, we're going to be the winners in New
York State because we pay high prices, the highest prices
in the nation, mostly for energy and everything else. And
congestion pricing was just bringing more costs to delivering goods
and so forth and so on. So it's pushing up
(05:37):
inflation in New York State and that's why people are leaving.
So I think the you know, the President, I'm with
him on this. If he can get our energy costs lower,
if he could eliminate congestion pricing by any means necessary
do it.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
I'm trying to figure out what Kathy Hochel's doing with
congestion pricing because the Siena Poul shows it's unpopular in
the state that's where she has to run for reelection.
And if most people in the state, almost fifty percent,
don't want it, why is she pushing for this in
the first place.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Again, it's it's the mismanagement of the MTA. She's trying
to save it that way, which I think they have
to get their house in order. They lose about seven
hundred million a year in fair evasion. I have bus
drivers in my district who are telling us that sixty
percent now of the people going on their bus routes
or their buses don't pay. So what is going on here? Well,
(06:33):
you know, get get your house in order. Let's stop
taxing people to death in New York State. And the
governor's on very thin ice with this. Yeah, and if
the governor, you know, loses federal funding, that's gonna she's
gonna have hell to pay. I mean not only in
because we're gonna, you know, keep going through inflation. But
congestion pricing is not the answer. You know that, Larry Right, I.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Get it, I get it. Yeah, No, you're absolutely right.
Robert hold In, New York City Council member Code share
of the New York's of the Council Common Sense Caucus.
Thanks so much,
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