The Bigger Apple: Unions In Disarray, Cuomo Hedging

Andrew Cuomo and 1199SEIU President George Gresham in 2018. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

New York City’s big municipal unions once offered mayoral hopefuls a clear early signal: secure a headline endorsement, bank on money and ground troops, and watch rivals scramble. All candidates had to do was promise to spend taxpayer money generously on public employee salaries and benefits. But this year, that playbook is broken.

1199SEIU, the city’s largest healthcare union, toppled longtime president George Gresham over the weekend after a financial‑mismanagement probe. Two weeks earlier, the union had endorsed Andrew Cuomo—an about‑face from Gresham’s own 2021 demand that Cuomo resign. Yvonne Armstrong won the union presidency by a substantial margin, campaigning on transparency and member empowerment, and it remains to be seen how active the union’s field operation will be.

The United Federation of Teachers is tied up in its own election. Ballots are being counted at the end of May, and union president Michael Mulgrew also faces organized challengers. Back in March, the UFT decided that a mayoral candidate would have to spend a full school day teaching before it would even consider an endorsement. That pushes any endorsement—and the organized support that comes with it—very late into the primary.

District Council 37 leadership seems steady, but its late-April backing of Council Speaker Adrienne Adams came with endorsements for Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and Senator Zellnor Myrie down‑ballot. A spread bet protects internal harmony yet blunts the union’s leverage in the top race.

The result: three heavyweight unions, three different kinds of distractions, and no early, unified labor signal. Taxpayers may be relieved to discover just how much sway the unions have lost.

From Left: Andrew Cuomo, Adrienne Adams, Brad Lander, Scott Stringer, Zellnor Myrie, Jessica Ramos, Zohran Mamdani, Michael Blake, Whitey Tilson. Photos via Getty Images. 

The biggest campaign development this week: Frontrunner Andrew Cuomo announced he’s also running on a newly created “Fight and Deliver” party line. This means that regardless of the outcome of the Democratic Primary, Cuomo will appear on the ballot in November. 

The city’s Campaign Finance Board issued a warning to Cuomo and other candidates about improper coordination with the super PACs supporting them. 

Cuomo’s latest policy rollout—a plan to expand psychiatric beds—closely mirrors Mayor Adams’ current strategy. Notably, Cuomo reduced psychiatric beds during his tenure as governor.

Zohran Mamdani drew a packed house at Brooklyn Steel on Sunday night. Earlier that day, he made a high-profile visit to Orthodox leaders in Flatbush. The outreach earned criticism from Borough Park Assemblymember Kalman Yeger, yet underscores Mamdani’s effort to expand beyond his base. The Orthodox communities often vote as blocks, giving their votes outsized influence.

City Comptroller Brad Lander continued to pursue union support, releasing an education platform and signaling solidarity through symbolic gestures—like highlighting the ILGWU at the Met Gala.

Street vendors sell food at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

From historic oyster carts to today’s halal stands and gourmet food trucks, street vending has always been part of New York’s success stories. And it has always frustrated the city’s administrations that have to deal with complaints from residents, businesses, and vendors about how crowded, smelly, or unfair the business is.

About 20,000 street vendors operate across the city, and over 96% are immigrants. Despite their significant presence, the city maintains a strict cap of just 2,800 food-vending permits, unchanged since 1983, despite a waiting list of 10,000 that stopped receiving applications a decade ago. This artificial scarcity has created a black market where permits are leased annually for $15,000–$25,000, far exceeding the official fee of $200 every two years. 

This week, the City Council considered Intro 431, proposed by Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez. This measure would increase the number of legal vending permits by 445 annually, potentially eliminating the cap within five years, in yet another attempt to regulate the informal market.

While expanding permits could alleviate the black-market leasing and fines for illegal vending, critics warn that eliminating caps could revive historical concerns about overcrowded sidewalks and related tensions. It is also uncertain how many vendors would pursue legal permits if available, given the associated tax obligations and their legal status — operating legally is costly.

Historically, the city’s regulatory efforts have consistently fallen short. The caps on licenses did not work, but offered enforcement opportunities to keep a semblance of order. In the 1990s, Mayor Giuliani’s administration made some streets and districts off-limits to vendors, with limited success. But stricter enforcement came with claims of harassment.

Attempts at dealing with the other negative externalities of street vending have not fared much better. The restaurant-style health grades introduced in 2019 apply only to the roughly 10% of vendors who hold permits. A promising 2015 pilot program introducing environmentally friendly carts was ahead of its time, another pilot is currently testing lithium batteries to replace the notoriously polluting gasoline and propane generators.

A balanced approach—pairing gradual permit increases with the adoption of cleaner technologies, transparent health, and unambiguous location regulations with dedicated enforcement—could preserve street vending as a vibrant urban asset without compromising neighborhood livability. But a legal cart that is illegally parked and does not follow the rules is still a nuisance that someone will inevitably complain about. The city will continue to struggle to balance vending activity with neighborhood quality of life until it starts enforcing reasonable rules fairly.

Further reading:

How to Get Food Carts and Trucks Under Control – by MI’s Nicole Gelinas from 2015.

Street Vendors of New York– Immigration Research Initiative’s 2024 report provides detailed data on the demographics, economic contributions, and challenges faced by NYC’s street vendor population. 

Fiscal Impact of Eliminating Street Vendor Permit Caps in New York City– NYC Independent Budget Office (2024) 

Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

Bodega Panic Buttons: Mayor Eric Adams announced a $1.6 million plan to install SilentShield panic buttons in 500 bodegas across the city. These devices will connect directly to the NYPD’s central command, bypassing 911 dispatchers, to speed up police response in high-crime areas. The initiative aims to enhance safety for store employees and customers amid a rise in violent incidents at delis, and it closely resembles Brad Lander’s proposal from a few months ago, intended to reduce retail theft.

Housing News

Brooklyn: Charney Companies and Tavros have secured financing to build 175 Third Street in Gowanus, the largest piece of their Gowanus Wharf project. The development will include 1,000 apartments, ground-floor retail, and a 37,000-square-foot waterfront esplanade, with construction expected to start in mid-2026. Meanwhile, Mayor Adams unveiled plans for an 840-foot tower at 395 Flatbush Avenue Extension in Downtown Brooklyn. Developed by Rabina and Park Tower Group, the project includes 1,263 units (20–30% affordable), retail, and office space. It’s one of the first to use new “City of Yes” zoning rules and state density reforms, and will rely on the 485x tax break. Public review begins soon.

Queens: NYCEDC is inviting ideas to repurpose the 672,000-square-foot Department of Education building at 44-36 Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City. The site is central to the city’s OneLIC neighborhood plan, aimed at revitalizing the area.

Manhattan: A&E Real Estate, known for its $930 million investment in 3,500 mostly rent-stabilized units including Riverton Square, now faces foreclosure on a $506 million loan. Rising costs and strict rent laws have pushed the portfolio into financial distress, mirroring broader challenges in New York’s regulated housing market.

(Stock Photo, FatCamera via Getty Images)

New York City’s child care voucher program helps low-income families pay for licensed care, covering almost 80,000 children at an average cost of $300 per child per week, or about $15,600 a year. Vouchers are a lifeline for working parents, especially in neighborhoods like Borough Park, Brownsville, and the South Bronx, and disproportionately serve Orthodox Jewish, immigrant, and single-parent households.

However, a nearly $1 billion shortfall has forced the city to freeze new enrollments, with 4,000 to 7,000 families already on a waitlist. The crisis stems from a 2022–23 state-led expansion of eligibility, ultimately covering families earning up to $108,632 for a family of four, funded in part by temporary federal pandemic aid that has since expired. Enrollment ballooned, but neither the city nor the state established a long-term cost-sharing agreement.

Governor Hochul has offered $350 million toward closing the gap, contingent on a local match, but the Adams administration says that still leaves a significant hole. With both executives touting generous election-year budgets, political pressure may force a short-term fix. But unless recurring funding is secured, families and providers will remain trapped in a cycle of uncertainty. This freeze is more than a budget issue—it’s a warning sign for a city trying to retain working families.

Bryant Park. Photo by Liena Zagare

Perched atop the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (455 Fifth Avenue), the wrap-around terrace offers a rare pocket of calm above Fifth Avenue’s bustle. Take the elevator directly to the 7th floor—no NYPL membership required—and linger over a coffee or pastry from Amy’s Bread (open 10 a.m.–4 p.m., closed Sundays). The terrace itself welcomes visitors most days from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., making it an inviting spot for everything from a quiet morning read to a sunset chat.

FAQ NYC podcast co-hosts Christina Greer, Katie Honan and Harry Siegel discuss that, as well as Donald Trump’s federal spending plan that neither Gov. Hochul nor Mayor Adams seem to be taking into account in their 2026 budgets.