New York Councilwoman Vickie Paladino is sounding the alarm about a line in Mayor Zohran Mamdani's inaugural speech. There was a lot to parse in Mamdani's remarks, including his assertion that New York will move toward the "warmth of collectivism" rather than "rugged individualism." As many pointed out, collectivism has a pretty high body count.
But socialists like Mamdani don't care. They'll do whatever it takes and stack as many bodies as necessary to achieve their utopia. Mamdani made a boatload of promises in his address, including free universal childcare, free buses, and a $30 minimum wage.
Another line in his speech caught the attention of New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino.
Mamdani sent a warning to landlords and told New York renters, "If your landlord does not responsibly steward your home, the city government will step in."
It's not the renters' home. It's the landlord's home. He owns that property and allows the tenants to live there for a charge.
Mamdani, however, is an anti-property-ownership socialist. As this writer noted back in September, 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 seen government-run housing that was "high-quality"? This writer used to do home hospice visits, including to city-owned apartment buildings. They were run down, filthy, and often infested with rats, cockroaches, or bedbugs. There was nothing "high-quality" about them.
Mamdani's housing advisor shares anti-ownership views. Cea Weaver wrote several things about her views on X, including saying, "Private property, including and kind of ESPECIALLY homeownership, is a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as 'wealth building public policy."
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She also called home ownership "racist" and a "failed public policy" while calling for the impoverishment of the white middle class.
With all that in mind, Paladino is pointing out that Mamdani's line about landlords being good stewards is just a way to justify the seizure of private property and the abolition of landlords.
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.
— Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (@VickieforNYC) January 3, 2026
This is straight up tyranny. Best be prepared for what comes next, because… https://t.co/Z2HdFUPCIN
"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 to instigate seizures," Paladino wrote on X.
"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," she added. "And renters — get ready for rents to SKYROCKET to mitigate these risks to the landlords to choose to remain in the market."
Paladino also recently blasted the government for its policy that allows nonprofits and the government to have first crack at buying certain multi-family homes. The Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) will enable a first-look to, or "right to match" process for certain multifamily building sales, giving qualified nonprofit entities an early opportunity to purchase before (or alongside) 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."
We would not be surprised at all if DSA activists did start doing just that and Mamdani moved to outlaw rent hikes across the board.
New York is going to learn the hard way that socialism isn't about "treating people fairly," as the media spun it. It's about totalitarian government crushing everything you love.
Editor’s Note: Zohran Mamdani, an avowed Democratic Socialist, is now the mayor of New York City.
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