$116 billion is the total NYC adopted budget for FY 2025, including the $4 billion of FY25 bills that were prepaid. This year’s budget talks between the Mayor and City Council took several twists and turns, ending with the narrowly on-time arrival of an adopted budget. New York City Council Member Justin Brannan, Chair of the Council’s Finance Committee, joined the podcast to discuss the budget, the Council’s role, and his prior career as a musician.

$116 billion, with Council Member Justin Brannan

Kevin Elkins, a senior advisor on former Governor Andrew Cuomo's Democratic primary campaign for mayor and the political director for the New York City carpenters union, joined the show to discuss the Cuomo campaign, the value of endorsements, labor politics, and much more. (Ep 520)

Kevin Elkins on the Cuomo Campaign, Labor Politics, Endorsements, & More

Jonathan Rosen — CEO of Orchestra, co-founder of BerlinRosen, and a top political advisor to Brad Lander and Bill de Blasio — joined the show to discuss the changing communications and media landscape, Lander's unsuccessful bid for mayor, lessons from de Blasio's 2013 win and tenure, Zohran Mamdani's ascension, and more. (Ep 521)

Jonathan Rosen on Brad Lander, Bill de Blasio, & New York Politics

New York State Senator John Liu, a Queens Democrat, joined the show to discuss key challenges facing his constituents and New York, his support for Zohran Mamdani for mayor, Asian voters, and much more. (Ep 523)

Senator John Liu on Supporting Mamdani, Asian Voters, & More

New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, a Democrat and former
member of Congress, joined the show to discuss his decision to
challenge Governor Kathy Hochul in the June 2026 primary, how their
relationship fell apart, key issues facing New York and his platform
to address them, and more. (Ep 524)

Antonio Delgado on His Run for Governor

Joe Borelli, Managing Director at Chartwell Strategy Group and former
New York City Council Minority Leader, joined the show to discuss how
President Trump is doing so far in his second term and the unfolding
election for New York City Mayor. The Staten Island Republican spent
over a dozen years in elected office, in the State Assembly then City
Council, until earlier this year when he left government for the
private sector. (Ep 525)

Joe Borelli on How Trump is Doing & the New York City Mayoral Race

State Senator Jessica Ramos, a Queens Democrat, returned to the show
to discuss her performance and endorsement of Andrew Cuomo in the
mayoral primary, her 2026 bid for Senate reelection against a tough
primary challenge, key issues facing her constituents, and more. (Ep 526)

Jessica Ramos on Her Mayoral Run, Senate Reelection Campaign, & More

Post-Labor Day and with under 2 months until Election Day (Nov. 4) the general election for Mayor of New York City is now in full swing, and four new polls out this week (Sept. 8-12) help shed light on the state of the race among Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa, and Eric Adams. Joining the show to discuss the polling, the state of the race, candidates' paths to victory, and what comes next are pollster Adam Carlson of Zenith Research and political analyst and professor JC Polanco. (Ep 527)

State of the Mayoral Race with Under 2 Months To Go, with Adam Carlson & JC Polanco

2,500 is the number of uniformed officers NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch moved from behind desks to patrolling NYC streets since this past summer. The move helped drive down the number of serious crimes committed, though fear remains high: last winter before this effort, CBC surveyed New Yorkers and discovered that 42% felt their neighborhood is safe, and only 34% rated the City's quality of life as excellent or good. These pose a real vulnerability to NYC long-term economic health and appeal to businesses and residents. In this episode, CBC Chair Marissa Shorenstein sits down with Commissioner Tisch to dig into her policy prescriptions for public safety, quality of life, the federal government and more (plus some of her accomplishments as the former Sanitation Commissioner).

2,500, with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch

New York City Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos joined the show to discuss the start of the new school year, key education policy initiatives underway like an overhaul of reading instruction, the new statewide student cellphone ban, mayoral control of city schools, and more. (Ep 538)

NYC Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos on the Start of the School Year & Key Education Issues

FAQ NYC and Max Politics are teaming up for a limited series, coming at you every Tuesday through November, featuring special guests who will help us dig into the latest in the mayor's race – and what's at stake for New Yorkers.

In our debut episode, Public Advocate Jumanne Williams joins us to talk about his arrest outside of 26 Federal Plaza, what the mayor and other elected officials can and should be doing in response to President Trump's threats, and why Williams thinks it's time for New York Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs to step down. 

City Hall Free For All is brought to you with generous support from Jamie Rubin, Vital City, the Charles H. Revson Foundation and P&T Knitwear. This week's episode was hosted by Harry Siegel, Christina Greer, Katie Honan and Ben Max. Our Senior Producer is Giulia Hjort, and Noah Smith is our engineer. Our series consultants are Jess Hackel and Courtney Harrell. Music from Epidemic Sound. 

$116 billion, with Council Member Justin Brannan

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