A shovel, hand weights and a construction hat now displayed in the foyer of New York City Hall are symbols of what Mayor Zohran Mamdani says are the "pothole politics" behind key achievements in his first 100 days in office. That's where we started our conversation this week during a wide-ranging interview for NPR's Newsmakers video podcast.
Sitting in the ornate Blue Room of City Hall underneath a portrait of Alexander Hamilton, a founding father who helped shape the nation, 34-year-old Mamdani ticked off all that he's been able to get done on his list of promises to voters:
"On day eight, we delivered $1.2 billion to make universal child care a reality across our city."
"We secured more than $30 million in settlements with bad landlords, [and] repaired more than 6069 apartments."
"We were able to secure nearly $100,000 a day for workers and small businesses that had been exploited by mega-corporations and delivery apps."