Zo’s fanboying Fiorello.
Hizzoner Zohran Mamdani keeps evoking the legacy of his predecessor Fiorello La Guardia, who guided the city through the Great Depression and is widely considered the greatest mayor in the city’s history.
Mamdani’s latest gushing portrayal of the long-dead former mayor as a role model came as he sat for an extended WNYC interview last week titled “Lessons from La Guardia ” that marked his first 100 days in office.
La Guardia’s vision not only matched the vast crisis facing New Yorkers during the Great Depression, but he also wouldn’t let his ambition be undimmed by the obstacles in his path, Mamdani said.
“It’s truly inspiring, and it continues to be each and every day,” Mamdani rhapsodized.
“He has said, ‘If fighting existing evils is radical, I am content with the name.’ And so much of what he faced is a part of politics even today. And when you look back, you find not only the willingness to believe, but frankly to deliver.”
But experts warn that drawing comparisons with La Guardia could be a mixed bag, especially because the long-dead mayor didn’t neatly fit into the lefty socialist box in which proud democratic socialist Mamdani is eager to place him.
La Guardia served as mayor from 1934 to 1946. He unified the subway system, tackled Tammany Hall corruption, oversaw massive infrastructure projects such as the West Side Highway and allied with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on New Deal projects.
The tempestuous mayor was also a Republican who had once run for Congress as a socialist, but never cottoned to strict Marxism. He also butted heads with unions, even as he allied with them.
Bill Cunningham, who served as communications director for former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, said talk of emulating La Guardia is one thing, acting like the so-called “Little Flower” is another.
“La Guardia was politically independent. He was the original maverick. He was willing to stand up to his own allies for the good of the city,” Cunningham said.
Mamdani began singing La Guardia’s praises on the campaign trail, often describing him as his favorite mayor.
And he’s not alone among mayors and mayoral hopefuls in doing so.
“Every mayor since La Guardia has sought to be La Guardia,” said George Artz, a political consultant and former aide to ex-Mayor Ed Koch.
Koch admired La Guardia and proudly sat at La Guardia’s desk, although with some comfort issues for his 6-foot-2-inch frame, Artz said.
“Koch was a little taller than La Guardia so they had to raise the desk,” he said, referring to the 5-foot-2-inch mayor.
While Koch could fill La Guardia’s desk with some help, he arguably couldn’t fill his shoes.
Generations may have passed since La Guardia’s time, but he still carries an “aura” because of his many substantive accomplishments, said Doug Muzzio, a retired Baruch College public affairs professor.
“La Guardia is probably the most successful mayor of the 20th century. He’s one of the high points of the 20th century,” he said.
Follow live updates on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s socialist agenda and the latest in NYC politics
Mamdani may want to tap into La Guardia’s aura, but he has a long way to go in executing his own agenda, Muzzio said.
Ross Wallenstein, a political operative with a penchant for history, said La Guardia had titanic people and events — FDR, development czar Robert Moses, the New Deal and the Great Depression — aligning to help him accomplish big things.
By contrast, Mamdani inherited a gigantic deficit, a state legislature in a tough spot, Gov. Kathy Hochul — with whom he maintains an uneasy alliance — and the wildcard of President Trump, he said.
“There’s not much comparison, at least not after only 100 days,” Wallenstein said.
“Ninety years ago, Fiorello LaGuardia — a former socialist not actually elected as one — knew how to get big things done and admirably got press for the small things,” he added. “The 112th mayor might just be comparing himself to the 100th, but being 80 years removed from LaGuardia probably helps. After all, besides the airport, how many New Yorkers know anything about the man himself?”
But Mamdani’s evocations of La Guardia don’t have a downside for the ambitious young mayor, argued Yvette Buckner, a political strategist and lobbyist.
“I do think it normalizes him and shows how they both fight for working families,” she said. “And La Guardia’s legacy around affordable housing is still very present today. I think this is what Mamdani is trying to capture for his legacy.”
“Maybe he wants an airport named after him one day,” she also quipped.
