Around two dozen veterans gathered for games and lunch with the city’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, Tuesday at the Commonwealth Veterans Residence in Parkchester.
The Mayor-elect’s choice to forego the popular Veterans Day Parade down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in favor of spending the holiday with veterans in the Bronx sparked criticism from conservative media, with the New York Post dubbing him “anti-parade.”
But Bronx veterans were surprised and pleased with Mamdani’s visit Tuesday, telling the Bronx Times that the soon-to-be mayor was receptive and listened to their thoughts.
“ I was surprised that he would come here to actually meet constituents from the city,” said Corporal Mike Lampon, who served in the United States Marines. “I would expect him to go to Manhattan, or maybe even Brooklyn, but not to the Bronx.”
Mayor-elect Mamdani dished out pasta, green beans, chicken and mashed potatoes with the Volunteers of America Greater New York before joining Bronx veterans to hear from them about the challenges they’re facing and what they want to see from the new administration. Before lunch, Mamdani promised that his administration would help veterans.
“ I’m here to wish you a happy Veteran’s Day, to thank you for your service and also to say that the days of thanking you today and forgetting you tomorrow have to come to an end,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani’s lunch in the Bronx breaks the norm of elected mayors marching in the Veterans Day Parade along with their outgoing predecessors, but when asked why he chose to sit out the parade and whether it was a statement of some sort, Mamdani didn’t appear concerned with the optics.
“I have to be honest with you, I haven’t thought all that much about parades,” Mamdani said to press outside the lunch. “I wanted to ensure that on Veteran’s Day, I actually got the time to sit down with veterans and hear from them. Some of the stories that I heard from men who have served this country and given everything they could to protect this nation is that they have often been left behind and forgotten by this same nation, by this same city.”
After serving lunch, the mayor-elect went from table to table, speaking with the former service men about housing and access to nutritional assistance. One veteran told Mamdani that his pantry had been empty without access to SNAP benefits due to the federal shutdown, until Monday after Governor Kathy Hochul ordered state agencies to fully fund SNAP benefits for November over the weekend.
Veterans told Mamdani that they had been caught in the middle of federal politics that had compromised their access to basic needs and faith that their leaders would take care of them.
“We’re talking about day to day dignity,” Mamdani told a group of vets. “We’re talking about, just the bare minimum.”
Lampon said that he did not vote for Mamdani, but that he recognized the way he was able to mobilize New Yorkers in record numbers.
“ The people of the city have thrown themselves behind him because they expect that he really has a feeling for the people and that he’s going to do stuff for them,” Lampon said.
He told the mayor-elect to use the momentum and “carry that as far as he can.” Lampon told the Bronx Times that he wants to see the Mamdani administration make advances in the economy and tackle the city’s housing crisis, but admitted it was a tall order.
When asked about how Mamdani planned to tackle affordability in the Bronx, he specifically highlighted his housing proposal to freeze the rent in rent stabilized buildings.
“What I’ve seen is that the affordability crisis is especially hitting Bronxites and the proportion of Bronx tenants who are rent stabilized is higher than in other boroughs, and that’s also the importance of delivering on that rent freeze,” Mamdani said to the Bronx Times.
“ I have no idea how he’s gonna handle any of that,” Lampon said. “I don’t know if a mayor has enough power to handle housing in the city and the economy as well, but if he can do anything towards that, I will be behind him 100%”
Reach Sadie Brown at sbrown@schnepsmedia.com or (214) 994-6723. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
