ALBANY — You can take the man out of the Assembly, but not the Assembly out of the man.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani returned to Albany on Wednesday for a budget hearing on local government (aka "Tin Cup" day) with lower figures and more details for his fast and free bus plan. He also displayed a willingness to consider an expansion of the G subway line.
When Mamdani was campaigning for mayor, he quoted the cost of fast and free buses at roughly $800 million. But responding to questions from state Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-Queens) at Wednesday's marathon budget hearing, Mamdani managed to pinch some pennies.
"We estimate the annual cost to be somewhere between $600 to $700 million," he said. "This is money that would be funded as a replacement for the fare box revenue that the MTA is currently receiving from its buses. We've put forward a number of different tax proposals that could be used to generate that kind of funding."
He never elaborated on how that reduction came about, but he did tell reporters later that he planned to include express buses in his plan to make transit more affordable in the city. But Gov. Hochul hasn't signaled any enthusiasm at the prospect of raising taxes on the wealthy or ending fare collection on MTA buses.
He's also pushing for a free bus pilot taking place during this year's World Cup tournament, which features games in suburban New Jersey, sort of near New York City.
Making that happen is a far-off dream if the Mamdani administration's budget gap problem persists. In the process of arguing that the state should increase its aid to New York City, he previously projected a budget gap of $12 billion — but at the hearing, he said it was now $7 billion.
And his staff explained to reporters that the amount was subject to change.
Mamdani also offered a glimpse into his thinking on transportation going forward. Assembly Member Claire Valdez (D-Queens), who is running for Congress — with Mamdani's endorsement — to succeed retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez in Queens, asked the former state lawmaker for his thoughts on expanding the G train to Forest Hills on weekends.
The train used to run from Church Avenue in Brooklyn to Forest Hills in Queens before service was terminated east of Court Square in 2010 due to financial issues and low capacity.
Riders and lawmakers like Valdez and Assembly Member Emily Gallagher (D-Brooklyn) have been calling for an expansion as a way to eliminate the need to make transfers in Manhattan or use buses for some riders traveling between Brooklyn and Queens.
"I think it's a very interesting idea, and it's one that we're digging into right now," he said.
Mamdani described the day spent advocating for New York City as not just a hearing, but a conversation. The annual ritual of New York City mayors asking Albany to let them do what they want can get old fast, but at least Mamdani's wife sent him upstate with a vote of confidence.
The first-term mayor recalled her saying that morning, "I'd give you money."
