Readers sound off on flash flooding, smearing Mamdani and a blue wave

Thank you, city workers, for the quick cleanup after the storm

Woodside: Last week’s rainstorm caused widespread flash flooding throughout New York City’s boroughs and most people had to deal with the impacts in one form or another. Sadly, two lives were lost in the flooding and property damage from downed trees was widespread throughout.

Where I live in Queens, a huge tree broke, completely blocking the sidewalk and also spilling onto the bike path of the road. This happened last Friday, early in the afternoon. The sidewalk is widely used by pedestrians and schoolchildren. Fortunately, no one was injured. While city parks workers were busy doing damage control throughout the city, given the extent of the damage, I only expected the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation crew to remove the tree by Tuesday or Wednesday.

However, on Monday morning I found that the messy trees had been completely cleaned up, with a notice to remove the damaged tree for Tuesday stuck on the tree. I fully admire the efficiency of the Parks Department for what it demonstrated by its rapid action within 72 hours, taking into account the weekend.

While mayors and political figures come and go every four years, these dedicated New Yorkers remain the lifeline of our city, and they lead it smoothly, even during emergencies and natural disasters. Congratulations and respect to all City Parks employees, utility and sanitation crews, emergency personnel, first responders, paramedics, FDNY, NYPD and hospitals for always working selflessly 24/7! Atul Karnik

Ready to act

Fresh Meadows: I couldn’t agree more with “The next mayor must think about climate” (editorial, November 5). Climate damage is costly and inequitable, and we must confront it head on. The poorest communities are the most vulnerable and the most ignored. Zohran Mamdani is committed to making the city livable and affordable. The fight against climate change is a necessary means of respecting this commitment. Mamdani can do so much, especially in collaboration with the City Council, to improve New York’s resilience, from helping buildings comply with Local Law 97 to implementing nature-based flood control. The state’s all-electric building law will help by requiring most new construction to be built without a gas hookup — if Gov. Hochul doesn’t delay it. Battery energy storage systems already exist throughout the city. Mamdani will need a close relationship with Hochul because the state controls the permitting process for clean energy and grid improvements. Sarah Rebecca Storch

Questions remain

Sunnyside: Local Law 97 is a laudable goal. However, some practical issues need to be resolved before implementing it city-wide. Where is the prototype of a multi-unit dwelling of 100 or more units with brick walls built around the 1940s or 1950s? How many months/years will it actually take to complete the work? How much does it cost and where does the funding come from? During the work, where will the residents live? Will brick walls support outdoor units? Where is the completed prototype? Simon Cohen

The dawn of doom

Bronx: What was that strange growling sound I heard Wednesday morning? Could it be an earthquake? No, wait, I know what that was: the brilliant founders of our country spinning in their graves after learning the results of Tuesday’s election! Mamdani, mayor of New York? Certainly not. Is the former greatest city in the world being taken over by radical left-wing weirdos? Yes of course. New York is going down the toilet, and an ignorant electorate is to blame. Shame on you all! Marion Friedmann

Also faked

Nyack, NY: One thing that drove me crazy during the mayoral race was how often Mamdani was called a communist or socialist. Simply put, the most humane, most shared, and most decent form of government is socialism. It is for this reason that it constitutes the essential Trojan horse for despots wishing to create a dictatorship. I assure you that a communist government is as far from being socialist as possible. Now that America has relinquished the crown of most important civilization on the planet under Trump, I suggest that democratic socialists are the best people on the planet (see the Netherlands, Ireland, England, New Zealand, etc.). In a communist government, all the money and power goes to the party leaders at the top. In our capitalist system, all the money and power goes to Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk at the top – the same as being a fucking communist, in my opinion. Stephen Boyle

Seek sound advice

Bronx: My wish is that Zohran Mamdani goes from very intelligent to very wise. He has the ear of Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Jamie Dimon – all wise consultants. I’d also like to see him ask Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa to join his administration as deputy mayor and head of the future Department of Community Safety, respectively. Why not? They all love New York. Maria Bonanti

Prepare for the worst

Margate, Florida: Regarding “Zohran Mamdani and anti-Semitism” (editorial, November 6): The editorial is a pipe dream. Adolf Hitler did not change his virulent anti-Semitism after his election. He stepped on the pedal of hatred of Jews. Mamdani too. He now has the power to persecute the Jews – his life’s dream. This is why he went into politics. Promoting anti-Semitism is its raison d’être. Wake up, editorial board! January 1933 in Germany is now being played in New York in November 2025! The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. predicted with great prescience Mamdani’s hatred of Jews in October 1967 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when he said: “When people criticize Zionists, they are talking about Jews. You are talking about anti-Semitism.” Richard Sherman

A concocted confusion

Bronx: You guys are such assholes. Criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitism, any more than criticism of Russia is hatred of the Russian people. The mayor’s opinion on Israel has nothing to do with the governance of the city. Richie Nagan

Hard turn

Sunnyside: On September 12, 2001, New York and the United States declared that they would never forget! Well, they forgot. Patrick E. Rudden

Misreading the past and present

Staten Island: It’s deliciously ironic to hear the MAGA community try to warn us that people supported Vladimir Lenin and Hitler, and just look at the results. Are you kidding me? Now you’re going to wake up and try to read the story? You don’t need a history book. All you have to do is look around you and see what is happening right now, all around you. Dismantling the White House is an apt metaphor for what the criminal is doing to the country as a whole. When the fall comes – and make no mistake, it is coming – the noise will be thunderous. History will not be kind to the criminal, nor to any of his supporters. As long as you’re warning us about Lenin and Hitler, keep in mind how they ended. Victor R. Stanwick

Omen of abdication

Manhattan: I believe New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill’s resounding victory marks the beginning of the end of President Trump’s reign. The comrade’s mouthpiece, the NY Post, won by 1 point in the polls. She won by 14 points. It was the message from the people that their rule was beginning to collapse. What better sign for the 2026 legislative elections, our 250th national anniversary, than that there will be the ouster of another king? Win the House and follow up with a Senate takeover later. His legacy will be the hat trick – a third successful excommunication. Michael Malewich

Stay strong

Manhattan: While my fellow Democrats and all those who value democracy are understandably thrilled with the results of Tuesday’s blue wave election, now is not the time to rest on our laurels. This is also not the time to cede ground to the Republican Party that supports the oligarchs. Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries admirably held the course during the shutdown, refusing to back down from their demand to restore cuts to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. Allowing millions of Americans to lose their health care is not acceptable, and I hope they continue to strongly resist pressure from the MAGA GOP to abandon this demand. This is particularly important as House Speaker Mike Johnson continues to keep his members on paid vacation (notably, Democrats taking no pay while federal workers go without theirs) in order to keep essential government work at a standstill. Francesca Fortunato