Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani dodged questions Thursday over disagreements with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch — but softened his tone on some controversial crime policies after picking her as top cop.
The Tisch pick – which Mamdani made official Wednesday – assuaged many critics of the incoming democratic socialist mayor, but was met with vocal disappointment by lefty supporters wary of the tough-on-crime commish.
“Too often, mayors and leaders are looking to surround themselves with people who are characterized by the quickness with which they can say yes, as opposed to the quickness with which they can tell you their honest opinion,” he said when asked about his rifts with Tisch on issues such as bail reform.
But Mamdani, during the news conference in City Hall Park, threatened to further provoke progressives by seemingly walking back his support for giving the NYPD’s civilian watchdog – rather than the police commissioner – the final say in disciplining cops.
The Queens assemblyman sidestepped the question over who should ultimately dole out discipline by arguing his priority is making sure the Civilian Complaint Review Board is properly funded so it can do its job.
“What I’ve said is that my focus is on delivering immediate steps towards accountability,” he said, noting the CCRB had to prematurely drop more than 700 potential misconduct cases last year.
“What I’m committed to is fully funding the CCRB immediately such that we can ensure that these days of these kinds of budget battles come to an end.”
The bob and weave was one of several evasive answers Mamdani offered in recent days both over his public safety proposals and his differences with Tisch.
Tisch opposes some of the state’s criminal justice reforms and supports keeping the NYPD’s gang database — both of which are at odds with Mamdani’s stances.
When pressed about those issues, Mamdani acknowledged his disagreements with Tisch, but also tried to sidestep any rancor.
“I continue to have concerns about the vast dragnet and ways in which many New Yorkers are being put into that database,” he vaguely said about the gang database.
The appointment of Tisch prompted a mini-backlash among many lefties online.
“Why are we pretending there’s no option for Zohran to hire a normie lib Commissioner who isn’t a billionaire ICE fan or a fanatical opponent of pro Palestine protesters?” comedian Kate Willet posted on X. “The choices aren’t Jessica Tisch vs an abolitionist. Like he can just get a Lib.”
Lefty journalist Mehdi Hasan confronted Mamdani with the gripes about Tisch during a Wednesday interview, noting many of the mayor-elect’s supporters are disillusioned with him keeping an official who’s against bail reform, spoke out against pro-Palestinian protests and worked in the NYPD’s intelligence division that spied on Muslim New Yorkers.
Mamdani said he chose to ask Tisch to stay on in part because she rooted out Mayor Eric Adams’ corrupt cronies from the NYPD’s upper echelons.
He said keeping Tisch would work in tandem with pursuing his proposed “Department of Community Safety” and dismantling the NYPD’s controversial Strategic Response Group that responds to protests.
“It’s an agenda that understands that safety and justice have to be delivered together,” he said. “This is a decision that fulfills and then develops that agenda.”
