Zohran Mamdani's win, Trump's threats, fake license plates

Mamdani win spurs heated responses

Apparently, Rep. Tom Suozzi is the only centrist Democrat who understands the appeal of mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to young and disaffected voters [“Ex-Gov calls on Dems to overcome Mamdani,” News, July 8]. The Democrats have been sleepwalking since they lost the 2024 election, their only policy being “Trump is bad.”

Finally, they have a candidate whose aspirational policies excite young, alienated voters, and the Democrats are utterly confused by his popularity. The Democrats — with a few exceptions, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — have learned nothing, still clinging to the status quo and yearning for the good old days when they could take the support of the young, women and minority voters for granted.

Suozzi is correct when he says that Mamdani has “tapped into the same economic discontent that powered Donald Trump’s rise.” Unfortunately, rather than learning from the voters’ choice of Mamdani, the Democrats seem to fear their loss of control, primarily support for their hand-picked candidates and business-as-usual agenda.

— Paul Schaefer, Smithtown

I am livid and baffled by the crusty, old politicians crawling out of the woodwork to “overcome” Zohran Mamdani. The boogeyman term “socialist” is being thrown around by former Gov. David A. Paterson to apparently stoke fear, and, quite frankly, it’s insulting.

The Democratic Party, especially here on Long Island, better start listening to what their voters want and need. It’s not just a city issue — we have an abysmal public transportation system on Long Island, and the housing situation is impossible for young families to access and afford. Affordable housing and public transportation are not “socialist” or “progressive” values. They are what we want, need and deserve for our families.

— Marybeth Bevan, West Islip

Zohran Mamdani officially won the Democratic primary in New York City. I’m sure many people voted for him simply because of his promises of free buses, free child care, city-owned grocery stores, and a rent freeze. I agree with the reader who wrote that there is no such thing as a free lunch [“Mixed reactions to Mamdani win,” Letters, July 1]. That’s the first thing we learn in Economics 101.

Whenever the government gives out “free” anything, someone else is actually paying for it — the taxpayers! Maybe the people who voted for Mamdani didn’t attend economics class. He said he won’t tax most New Yorkers, just the billionaires.

Well, the famous billionaires such as Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg do not live in New York City. Even Oprah and Jay-Z don’t live there. So, who will end up paying for all this “free” stuff if Mamdani is elected? You and your hardworking New York City neighbors, that’s who.

— John Campanella, Albertson

If Trump can eject elected officials …

President Donald Trump would be interfering once again with the will of the people if Zohran Mamdani is elected “Trump attack on Mamdani: No ‘communist’ should run NYC,” News, July 9]. Trump says he will send his own people to take over the city. Is this democracy? If Trump doesn’t like who is elected in other states, does he have the right to eject local elected officials and put in who he wants and override the will of the people? To me, this spells dictatorship.

I’m not a great fan of Mamdani and don’t live in the city. However, it might happen here on Long Island. Elections wouldn’t matter anymore — only the will of our “king” would matter. Whether we like who is elected or not, it is the will of the majority, and we as Americans should accept that. That is the American way that our forefathers fought for.

— Joseph Rella, Farmingdale

LI police must aid crackdown on plates

I spend 30 minutes commuting on Nassau County roads each morning — on highways and community streets. I see no fewer than 25 altered license plates with the presumed purpose of evading tolls [“4.9M free trips despite MTA toll crackdown,” News, July 8].

On Monday, I came to a red traffic light on a three-lane street, and all three cars in front of me had altered plates. Next to me, a Nassau County police cruiser pulled to a stop and did nothing.

What happened to police enforcement to curtail this infraction? For those of us who pay the ever-increasing tolls, it becomes an additional burden.

If the police departments in all municipalities surrounding New York City would join in the “crackdown,” ghost plates would likely disappear.

— Richard Bohn, North Hills