New York State Assemblymember Robert Carroll, a Brooklyn Democrat, joined the show to discuss his push to ensure that education issues are discussed in the home stretch of the race to be the next Mayor of New York City, the importance of prioritizing literacy instruction, his short list of potential next city school chancellors, mayoral control of city schools, and more. (Ep 533)

Assemblymember Robert Carroll on Education Issues & the Mayoral Race

In our fourth episode, we discuss the federal indictment of New York Attorney General Tish James, how the mayoral candidates are reacting, and how the next mayor could influence President Trump’s approach to the city. Then, DSA-backed City Council Member Alexa Avilés of Brooklyn, chair of the Council immigration committee, joins us to talk about Trump’s immigration crackdown, her hopes for a Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and her own potential run for Congress.

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FAQ NYC and Max Politics are teaming up for a limited series, coming to 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.

City Hall Free For All is brought to you with generous support from Jamie Rubin and Vital City. This week's episode was hosted by Christina Greer, Ben Max and Harry Siegel. Our Senior Producer is Giulia Hjort. Rachel Lightner engineered this episode. Our series consultants are Jess Hackel and Courtney Harrell. Music from Epidemic Sound. (Ep 534)

City Hall Free For All: Tish James Indicted & Alexa Avilés on Immigration Politics

Fifty years ago today New York City came within hours of bankruptcy, one of the most significant events of the Fiscal Crisis. This episode features interviews with two of the era’s heroes—Stephen Berger, who served as Executive Director of the State Emergency Financial Control Board, and Eugene Keilin, Executive Director of the Municipal Assistance Corporation (MAC). Learn how they and New Yorkers from government, the business community, and labor navigated the calamitous waters of default towards solvency—and what takeaways we can apply today.

50, the Fiscal Crisis Anniversary Edition

Matt Wing, a political strategist and founder of Wingspan, joined the show to analyze the first of two televised debates in the general election for Mayor of New York City and what comes next. Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, and Curtis Sliwa debated on NBC NY on the night of Thursday, October 16, 2025, and this conversation between Wing and host Ben Max was recorded right after. (Ep 535)

Analyzing the First Mayoral Debate, with Matt Wing

In episode five, we debrief the first mayoral debate and preview the second one as Andrew Cuomo struggles to gain ground against frontrunner Zohran Mamdani with wild card Curtis Sliwa also in the mix. Plus, two-time former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton joins to explain why he wouldn't advise Jessica Tisch, or anyone else, to run the NYPD on Mamdani's watch. Remember: early voting begins on Saturday. Visit vote.nyc or call 1-866-VOTE-NYC to find your early and election day polling sites — they may be different — and see what will be on your ballot.

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FAQ NYC and Max Politics are teaming up for a limited series, coming to 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.

City Hall Free For All is brought to you with generous support from Jamie Rubin and Vital City. This week's episode was hosted by Christina Greer, Katie Honan, Ben Max and Harry Siegel. 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. 

City Hall Free For All: The Mayoral Race Hits Its Homestretch & Bill Bratton on Policing New York

221 is the number of New Yorkers who joined CBC's Mayoral Smart Choices Half-Day Conference. In part 1 of a three-part series, a panel explores important question about the City's finances: how does the next mayor bring spending to sustainable levels and build the City’s reserves? What does fulsome preparation for federal cuts look like? How do labor deals balance fair compensation with fiscal reality? What tax policies will maintain the city’s attractiveness?

- Louisa Chafee, Director, Independent Budget Office
- Ana Champeny, Vice President for Research, CBC
- Ken Girardin, Fellow, Manhattan Institute
- Nathan Gusdorf, Executive Director, Fiscal Policy Institute
- Ben Max (moderator), Program Director, Center for New York City and State Law at New York Law School

221: Part 1 of the Mayoral Smart Choices Series

221 is the number of New Yorkers who joined CBC's Mayoral Smart Choices Half-Day Conference. In part 2 of a three-part series, a panel explores important questions about delivering services to New Yorkers: how do we ensure that the most high-quality and effective programs rise to the top and are managed well? How do we shrink what isn’t working even if it’s politically popular?

- Henry Garrido, Executive Director, District Council 37
- Melanie Hartzog, President & CEO, The New York Foundling; former Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, and Budget Director
- Meera Joshi, President, Green-Wood Cemetery; former Deputy Mayor for Operations
- Anthony Shorris, Partner, McKinsey; former First Deputy Mayor 
- Andrew Rein (moderator), President, CBC

221: Part 2 of the Mayoral Smart Choices Series

221 is the number of New Yorkers who joined CBC's Mayoral Smart Choices Half-Day Conference. In part 3 of a three-part series, a panel explores important questions on how to make the City affordable, safe, and livable. There are many competing needs, from boosting housing production to making childcare more affordable; providing fast, reliable public transit; delivering clean, safe and vibrant streets and high quality education. How do we achieve all this on a budget New York can afford?

- Majora Carter, CEO, Majora Carter Group
- Rafael Cestero, CEO, Community Preservation Corporation; former Commissioner, NYC HPD
- Nicole Gelinas, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute
- Elizabeth Glazer, Founder Vital City; former Dir. Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice
- Alicia Glen (moderator), Founder and Managing Principal, MSquared; former Deputy 

221: Part 3 of the Mayoral Smart Choices Series

Cea Weaver — Executive Director of Housing Justice for All and New York State Tenant Bloc, a longtime tenant activist, and a housing policy advisor to Zohran Mamdani — joined the show to discuss renters' political power, Mamdani's housing agenda including his pledge to freeze rents on rent-stabilized housing, and more on housing policy and politics. Weaver's organizations "work together to strengthen tenant organizing, advocate pro-tenant legislation, and elect tenants and their allies to public office in New York." She has run winning campaigns to expand rent stabilization and protect rent-stabilized housing, pass "good cause eviction," and more. (Ep 536)

Cea Weaver on Tenants' Electoral Power, Mamdani's Rent Freeze Pledge, & Housing Policy

Kenny Burgos, CEO of the New York Apartment Association and former State Assembly member from the Bronx, joined the show to discuss the challenges in rent-stabilized housing, the perspective of landlords and building managers, the prospects of a Mayor Mamdani and the candidate's promise to freeze stabilized rents for four years, and much more about housing policy. (Ep 538)

221: Part 2 of the Mayoral Smart Choices Series

What's The [DATA] Point?