Mamdani’s 15-Member Business Council Stalls More Than 2 Months After Launch

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 14

More than two months after Zohran Mamdani announced a business advisory council, recruitment for the roughly 15-member group remains unfinished and has been disrupted by infighting among executives.
Business leaders have questioned whether they can work with the mayor, citing distrust over his anti-Israel statements, tax-the-rich rhetoric, public attacks on a hedge fund billionaire and the rollout of a tax on expensive second homes.
Some executives said they worry that accepting an invitation would make them appear to legitimize policies they oppose, even if they want to help shape the administration’s economic agenda.
The setback deepens a broader rupture between Mamdani and New York’s business community after an early outreach push, even as the city has posted relatively weak job growth and only recently filled key economic development roles.