New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino is sounding the alarm over a particularly revealing line in Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s inaugural address. There was plenty in Mamdani’s remarks worth scrutinizing, but one phrase stood out: his declaration that New York should move toward the “warmth of collectivism” and away from “rugged individualism.”
That line didn’t land the way he probably hoped. As many were quick to point out, collectivism’s track record isn’t warmth—it’s mass suffering. From economic ruin to political repression, collectivist experiments throughout history have racked up an eye-watering body count.
But socialists like Zohran Mamdani aren’t moved by history or consequences. The goal is the utopia; everything else is treated as collateral. In his inaugural address, Mamdani unloaded a familiar wish list—free universal childcare, free buses, and a $30 minimum wage—promises that sound generous on paper and disastrous in practice.
And it wasn’t just the collectivism line that raised alarms. Another passage in the speech caught the attention of New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, reinforcing concerns that the administration’s rhetoric isn’t just aspirational—it’s a roadmap.
Mamdani sent a warning to landlords and told New York renters, “If your landlord does not responsibly steward your home, city government will step in.”
Let’s be clear about something Mamdani and his allies intentionally blur: it’s not the renter’s home. It’s the landlord’s property. The owner bought it, maintains it, pays the taxes and insurance on it, and allows tenants to live there in exchange for rent. That’s how property rights work in a free society.
But Mamdani isn’t interested in free society norms. He’s an anti–property ownership socialist, and his rhetoric reflects it. Mamdani once posted on X, “People often ask what socialists mean when we say we want to ‘decommodify’ housing. Basically, we want to move away from a situation where most people access housing by purchasing it on the market and towards a situation where the state guarantees high-quality housing to all.”
Have you ever actually seen government-run housing that could honestly be described as “high-quality”? I have—and it wasn’t. Back when I was a paramedic, my job regularly took me into government-subsidized and owned apartments. What I saw was the opposite of what politicians like to promise.
They were rundown. Filthy. Neglected. Many were infested with rats, cockroaches, or bedbugs. Basic maintenance was an afterthought, repairs were endlessly delayed, and no one in charge seemed remotely accountable for the conditions people were forced to live in. There was nothing dignified about it, and there was certainly nothing “high-quality” about it.
Mamdani’s housing advisor also shares anti-ownership views. Cea Weaver wrote several things about her views on X, like this: “Private property including and kind of ESPECIALLY homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as ‘wealth building public policy.”
Right. White people are the only ones in America who own homes. What a moron.
Weaver, who is white, also called home ownership “racist” and a “failed public policy” while calling for the impoverishment of the white middle class.
With all of that in mind, Paladino is calling out Zohran Mamdani’s rhetoric for what it really is. His line about landlords needing to be “good stewards” isn’t some benign appeal to responsibility—it’s a pretext.
In practice, it’s the language used to justify the gradual seizure of private property and, ultimately, the abolition of landlords altogether:
She said:
What he means is that pretty much every tenant complaint will move rapidly into property seizure. Look for DSA activists to begin agitating tenants to file frivolous complaints just to instigate seizures.
This is straight up tyranny. Best be prepared for what comes next, because it will get ugly fast.
If you’re a small landlord that rents an apartment in your own home I strongly suggest you notify your tenants that you will no longer be renting, because Mamdani WILL take your home.
And renters — get ready for rents to SKYROCKET to mitigate these risks to the landlords to choose to remain in the market.
Paladino has also been hammering the city over another quiet but dangerous policy shift: giving nonprofits—and the government itself—first crack at buying certain multifamily homes. Under the so-called Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), favored entities get a “first look” or a right-to-match before properties ever truly hit the open market.
Paladino said, “The idea that we have to consult with the building department and give six months for someone else to make an offer is absolutely outrageous. And to say it’s government overreach is 100% true. This is absolutely maniacal.”
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if DSA activists took that step, especially if Mamdani moves to implement a complete ban on rent increases.
New York is about to discover the hard way that socialism isn’t merely about “fair treatment,” as the media likes to portray it. It’s really about a totalitarian government stifling everything you hold dear.