The promise of New York is becoming unattainable for many families. Families facing having to leave because the cost of living continues to rise while its quality deteriorates. It’s not just the income, New York no longer seems to work for people who still see it as a beacon of opportunity.
New Yorkers face neglected infrastructure, dirty streets, and fewer economic opportunities. On Roosevelt Avenue, for example, years of mismanagement by previous mayors allowed unregulated activities to continue under the shadows of the train. Cars block visibility, garbage accumulates and the lack of lighting creates spaces in which we feel unsafe. Previous administrations did not prioritize community renewal and beautification, and small businesses did not receive the resources necessary to serve our neighbors. These are real problems that affect our quality of life.
That’s why I support Zohran Mamdani for mayor. Zohran understands that affordability and quality of life are connected, and that true leadership means investing in both. His vision goes beyond temporary solutions. His plan for the Department of Community Safety will take a public health approach to safety, investing in mental health services, homeless assistance, violence prevention and better public transportation to address the real causes of insecurity. By coordinating agencies and prioritizing prevention, his plan will make our streets, trains, and neighborhoods truly safe for everyone.
But safety also requires that we take better care of our public spaces. As I proposed in Comprehensive Plan for Roosevelt Avenue, which includes installing brighter lighting under the train tracks, assigning the avenue to a single precinct, using sanitation chambers to combat illegal dumping, among other proposals. Interventions based on local needs, which combined with city investment, will transform our neighborhoods.
At the same time, Zohran’s affordability agenda—frozen rent for stabilized apartments, free public buses, and guaranteed universal child care—will save working families billions each year. Money that will help mothers like Ana buy food, young people like Enrique invest in their future, and older people like Claudia stay in the communities they helped build.
Both plans have a common focus: supporting those in need rather than unfairly criminalizing them. We must combine law enforcement with real opportunities—job training, certifications, mental health services, and pathways to decent jobs. Only in this way will we build safer and stronger communities in the long term.
We are at a decisive moment. We can accept the same old thing—a city where working people are displaced and public spaces feel increasingly abandoned—or a future where affordability, opportunity, and safety work together to lift us all up. That’s the New York I know and love, and that’s why I choose Zohran Mamdani.
Catalina Cruz is an assemblywoman for District 39 (Jackson Heights, Corona, Elmhurst)
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