Winter storm is Zohran Mamdani's 1st big test as NYC mayor. Will he succeed where others failed?
Can they plow the snow?
It's a question that every New Yorker across the five boroughs uses to judge their mayors, and many have not been able to pass the test.
As a massive winter storm approaches, Mayor Zohran Mamdani promised Friday New York City is prepared for whatever this storm deals.
But he may learn a thing or two from his predecessors who slid down the snowy slope to failure.
NYC mayors face winter storm backlash
Mayor John Lindsay didn't plow the streets of Queens, and the people never forgot.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg was in Bermuda during the Blizzard of 2010, and the people never forgot.
Bloomberg even got testy with CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer when she asked him to confirm he was there, most likely playing golf, before the snowstorm hit.
"Why not just say that you were there or you weren't there?" Kramer had asked.
"I didn't say whether I was or I wasn't," the Bloomberg said.
"But why not?" Kramer asked.
"Because, the mayor has to be able to have a private life and not disclose where he is," Bloomberg said.
In 2014, a few days after taking office, Mayor Bill de Blasio showed that when it came to snow removal, it was a tale of two cities.
Atlantic Avenue in his native Brooklyn was plowed down to the blacktop, but all the major thoroughfares on Manhattan's Upper East Side — Fifth, Madison, Park, Third, and all the way to the river — were covered in snow.
Pedestrians slipped, a school bus couldn't make the turn onto Third Avenue, and it was tough sledding for anyone pushing a baby carriage.
"Can you explain why, here in Brooklyn you have Atlantic Avenue, which is completely clean, you can see the blacktop. And in the midtown of Manhattan, the snow is all over the streets?" Kramer asked back then at a news conference.
"Marcia, respectfully, it's a citywide effort, and a lot of equipment is being deployed. And if you go in any given situation, you're going to see in some places, because of accumulation, it's going to work better, it's going to work a little worse," de Blasio replied.
What Mamdani plans to do differently
While Mamdani did not call out any of his predecessors by name Friday, he did say he learned lessons from their mistakes.
"How do we make sure that we do not have ambulances that are being prevented from being able to access New Yorkers or access the streets? How do we make sure that we're not facing another situation where there are preventable outcomes taking place? So that's what is at the basis of our communication. That's why I'm also trying to be everywhere as I can to keep that in mind," the mayor said.
What's going to be different about Mamdani's winter storm response?
It appears he's going to be very hands on. He said he's going to be outside with workers as they salt and plow the streets. He also said he's going to try to be better at communicating the situation to New Yorkers and manage expectations.