Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s choose for a key housing put up as soon as likened rich householders to “cartels” — prompting some Metropolis Council members to push again on the controversial nominee.
John Mangin, the present Division of Metropolis Planning housing director, was tapped by Mamdani in June to chair the Board of Requirements and Appeals, an unbiased company that may grant exceptions to the Massive Apple’s strict zoning guidelines for brand spanking new development tasks.
“Many council members are involved about a few of his prior statements,” Council Speaker Julie Menin stated throughout an unrelated press convention Thursday.
However, she insisted, “I need to be clear: we’re a pro-housing council.”
Mangin, in a 2014 Stanford Legislation and Coverage Evaluation article, ripped “rich home-owner cartels,” accusing them of needlessly blocking new housing developments in “high-demand, high-cost neighborhoods” due to anxiousness over their very own property values and taxes.
“The housing advocacy neighborhood tends to argue for a ‘kludgy’ set of insurance policies that may truly stop new improvement and find yourself rising housing costs,” the Yale College Legislation College grad wrote.
Mangin particularly bashed commonplace “neighborhood profit agreements” between builders and the neighborhoods they search to construct in. He additionally referred to as out “downzoning,” through which modifications to zoning guidelines are restricted for quite a lot of causes, together with sustaining an space’s historic look and stopping city sprawl.
At the very least half of the council’s 51 members might want to approve Mangin’s appointment — however a number of of them have been voicing their opposition, saying his insurance policies are in “direct battle” to theirs, Politico first reported final week.
“We symbolize these communities. We’ve to return to those communities and we notice what our communities want,” stated Bronx Councilman Kevin Riley, who additionally serves as Chair of the Land-Use Committee.
“When you’ve got such a excessive opposition to that, that’s going to be a priority to numerous members throughout the council,” he stated.
Group profit agreements are usually authorized contracts between builders and area people teams. Firms agree to supply advantages like financial contributions, native facilities, and even jobs in neighborhoods affected by their large-scale development.
Mangin, as a coverage director, performed an important position in then-Mayor Eric Adams’ Constitution Revision Fee, that acquired a collection of pro-housing poll measures on the poll in November 2025.
Voters accredited these measures to hurry up development of reasonably priced improvement citywide — regardless of vehement opposition from the council, which claimed their and neighborhood voices within the course of could be undermined because of this.
The Board of Requirements and Appeals gained extra energy this yr because of the measures, with the five-member company now having the ability to bypass sure zoning legal guidelines for reasonably priced housing tasks.
“On the face of it, a majority of members could be uncomfortable voting for him because it stands now,” one lawmaker informed Politico.
Queens Councilwoman Shanel Thomas-Henry — who helped cross a 12,000-unit neighborhood plan in Jamaica final yr — echoed the apprehension at Thursday’s press convention.
“I believe numerous the issues he has been concerned in, I personally see as a direct battle with how the council sees its powers, and we’re a pro-housing council,” she argued.
Mamdani stood by his controversial choose when pressed by reporters on the strain.
“I imagine we’ve made the absolute best choose for this place. We’re talking about somebody who has the entire requisite expertise to fight the affordability disaster and construct the sort of housing town has not seen for a very long time,” he stated final week.
Hizzoner isn’t alone in his help of Mangin, pro-housing teams like Open New York have celebrated the nomination, together with Metropolis Comptroller Mark Levine.
“We’re within the midst of a housing affordability disaster, we desperately want a pacesetter like John Mangin,” Levine stated.
Menin stated Mangin has not reached out to her or members for a gathering, and neither a listening to for his appointment or a closing vote has been scheduled.
