Zohran Mamdani’s first NYC snowstorm becomes a major governing test

By Gloria Pazmino, CNN

New York (CNN) — It will be a make-or-break test for mayors across the country: A weekend snowstorm so intense that it could hit two-thirds of the American population and shut down schools, roads and critical infrastructure for days to come.

For Zohran Mamdani, nearly a month into the job as mayor of New York City, it’s a challenge he’s been anticipating for a while.

“This is the calm before the storm,” Mamdani said Friday during a press briefing outlining the city’s preparations.

Over the next three days, Mamdani will face the most crucial moment of his nascent administration, something that could indelibly set New Yorkers’ perception of whether he can run the nation’s largest city.

From John Lindsay to Michael Bloomberg to Bill de Blasio, there’s a long list of New York City mayors who have suffered the political consequences of bungling a storm. Mamdani faces heightened scrutiny as a 34-year-old former state assemblyman whose opponents during last year’s campaign repeatedly questioned if he had the experience for an emergency just like this one.

“He’s got something to prove in a way that is unique to him, and he seems to know it,” said Eric Phillips, who served as de Blasio’s chief spokesperson, in an interview.

Multiple officials in City Hall told CNN the mayor’s press office has been poring over how previous storm coverage played out for other mayors as part of their strategy to communicate and make sure that New Yorkers know they are prepared.

“The public rightfully holds mayors accountable because it’s a reflection of how government handles something that is their responsibility – take out the trash, plow the snow, and clean the streets,” Phillips said. “The worry for some people was that he would not be able to handle these managerial operational moments, so this is a real test of that.”

A preemptive media blitz

Mamdani spent Friday morning doing television and radio appearances, including an interview with The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore from a high-rise rooftop in the middle of Times Square.

Then he donned a New York City Emergency Management jacket with the word “mayor” embroidered on it, walked into the agency headquarters in downtown Brooklyn and delivered a briefing outlining the city’s plan. He said thousands of sanitation workers, thousands of snowplows, hundreds of salt spreaders and 700 million pounds of salt are ready to go.

“This weekend is going to be cold, it is going to be windy, and above all else, it is going to be a weekend where your city is prepared,” Mamdani said. “Across every single level of government, we are working together to ensure that our streets are being kept clear, that New Yorkers are safeguarded, and that the most vulnerable among us are being connected with shelter.”

And he apologized to the city’s public-school students.

Mamdani has not yet decided whether schools will close on Monday. A final decision will be made by Sunday at noon. But children should expect remote instruction no matter what.

“I have to apologize to the students that were hoping for a different answer, for a traditional snow day, that will not be the case,” Mamdani said.

Mayors have slipped in snow before

New Yorkers have long memories of mayors and their handling of snowstorms.

There was the nor’easter of ’69 that dropped 15 inches on Central Park, shut down airports, injured hundreds of people and killed 42 residents. For days, the streets were impassable and the city’s poor handling of its response along with a bungled cleanup effort effectively helped end then-Mayor Lindsay’s political career.

Then there was the Bermuda incident in 2011. Bloomberg was pilloried by constituents and the press after a fast-approaching Christmas blizzard caught him vacationing in Bermuda. While the mayor managed to fly his private jet back in time to deliver a press conference and handle the storm, the optics of an island-dwelling mayor as millions of New Yorkers dealt with the snow and cold left a lasting mark.

Early in de Blasio’s tenure, wealthy residents of the Upper East Side accused him of ignoring clean up in their neighborhoods, a charge the mayor denied. Then there was the heartbreak and disappointment for 1 million school age children who were denied a snow day in 2014. De Blasio and his schools chancellor declared it was a “beautiful day.” Meanwhile, parents and children waddled through freezing rain and snow blanketing the city.

“You have to be realistic with people; mayors don’t have crystal balls,” Phillips said of Mamdani’s challenge now. “He has to remind people that we’re all in this together and the city is going to get through it and yes, you’re the mayor, but not a weather god.”

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