Mamdani Officials Skip NYC Hearing on 1 Million-Property Second-Home Tax as Lawsuit Looms
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 17
Mamdani Officials Skip NYC Hearing on 1 Million-Property Second-Home Tax as Lawsuit Looms
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 17
Summary
No Mamdani administration officials will appear at Tuesday’s City Council hearing on New York City’s new tax on high-end second homes, with the mayor’s office opting to submit written testimony instead.
A city spokesman said the administration made the move because of pending litigation over the pied-a-terre surcharge, sidestepping what had been expected to be a contentious public grilling by council members.
Julie Menin, the Council speaker, called the decision unfortunate, arguing that oversight should continue even during lawsuits and noting prior mayoral administrations had still answered questions in person.
The hearing comes after critics seized on the city’s release last month of a dataset covering nearly 1 million properties that the website said may be subject to the tax, deepening political pressure on Mayor Zohran Mamdani.