One of my many endeavors besides teaching at a university, moderating events, and writing about politics is co-hosting the New York-focused podcast FAQ.NYC. Journalists Harry Siegel, Katie Honan, and I host a weekly podcast where we talk about all things New York City. We occasionally venture into chats about Albany and national politics, but we mainly discuss all things mayor, City Council, neighborhoods, legislation, and more. We see our podcast as a way to inform New Yorkers about issues large and small … and sometimes even have a good laugh while doing so. On May 29 at 5:30 p.m., we will host a live episode, taping at the New York Law School, to discuss the state of the mayoral race.
During this electoral season, we interviewed almost every major Democratic mayoral candidate on the podcast … with the exception of Mayor Adams and former governor Andrew Cuomo, who both seem to be avoiding tough interviews like the plague. This election is so consequential because New Yorkers will be choosing a leader who will have to stand up to (and sometimes negotiate with) an unpredictable and norm-busting president who seems to have a particular disdain for policy issues that directly affect millions of New Yorkers.
New Yorkers will need to choose a leader with a clear vision for how to deal with possible defunding of public housing, transportation, education, infrastructure, hospitals, and overall budget issues. We will need to choose a leader who will think deeply about how to integrate immigrant populations into our communities, as well as how to deal with the pressures of ICE in our institutions, ranging from jails to schools to houses of worship. How will the next mayor of New York deal with the potential of FBI agents attempting to arrest judges in New York City or deport innocent American citizens without probable cause who are living in one of our boroughs?
These are just some of the questions we are grappling with this election season, so we’ve decided to host a live podcast episode to discuss it and take audience questions. Every election night, we invite our friend and colleague Ben Max from the Max Politics podcast to join us to discuss the political moment. For this live podcast episode, we will once again join forces with Ben for a robust conversation.
If you care about the future of New York City, this is the event for you. Come join us and spend an hour discussing politics and leadership and the future of the city. The event will be held Thursday, May 29, at 5:30 p.m. at New York Law School (185 W. Broadway, New York, NY 10013).
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of the books “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.