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Mayor Zohran Mamdani won’t be sending anyone to an oversight hearing about his administration’s bungled rollout of the state’s new pied-à-terre tax.
Administration officials will skip testifying Tuesday at the City Council’s hearing — shielding them from publicly facing tough questions about their implementation of the controversial new levy on luxury second homes.
Mamdani spokesman Matthew Rauschenbach blamed a high-profile lawsuit for the all-too-convenient planned no-show.
“Given the ongoing litigation, our administration has decided to submit written testimony to the City Council tomorrow for its hearing on the pied-à-terre surcharge,” said Rauschenbach.
But past mayoral administrations have testified in oversight hearings despite facing active lawsuits, City Council Speaker Julie Menin noted.
“Oversight is an essential function of government, and past mayoral administrations have shown up to answer questions despite ongoing litigation,” she said in a statement. “This is an unfortunate decision by the Administration but the hearing will go forward so we can hear from the public.”
Democratic council members otherwise allied with Mamdani likewise blasted the dodge.
“The pied-a-terre tax is an important ingredient in funding critical city services, but its rollout was clearly flawed,” Bronx Councilman Eric Dinowitz posted on X.
“By refusing to show up, the administration is turning its back on the transparency and accountability our city was promised.”
Fellow Bronx Democrat Kevin Riley said: “Disappointed to learn the Administration will not testify at tomorrow’s City Council hearing on the pied-à-terre tax rollout.
“Written testimony cannot replace direct engagement, transparency, and the Council’s ability to ask important questions on behalf of New Yorkers,” the councilman wrote on X.
The oversight hearing will unfold as the pied-à-terre tax gets off to a rocky start, with Republican City Council members planning to hold a rally beforehand on City Hall’s steps to capitalize on the frustrations of many New Yorkers.
Mamdani’s calls to “tax the rich” led Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic state lawmakers to approve the levy on high-dollar second homes.
The so-called pied-à-terre tax will apply to one- to three-family homes worth at least $5 million and co-ops and condominiums valued at $1 million or more that are unoccupied, non-primary residences.
But after getting the chance to stick it to the rich, Mamdani and his administration managed to confuse and frustrate scores of New Yorkers as they rolled out the tax.
City officials first published a database of more than 900,000 homeowners after Mamdani put wealthy residents on notice to “check your mailbox” — despite the vast majority of owners on the list being unlikely to actually be hit by the tax.
They then sent out 17,000 notices to homeowners, warning them they’d actually be hit with the tax unless they filed for an exemption.
The confusion prompted a trio of homeowners to sue, contending they either wrongly received notices for their longtime primary residences or were on the published tax roll.
The suit scored an early victory last week when a judge temporarily paused the rollout.
The pause itself was put on pause days later, allowing City Hall to continue with the botched rollout.
The lawsuit is still ongoing, giving city officials a convenient excuse to avoid testifying during the oversight hearing.
Councilman Frank Morano (R-Staten Island), whose wife and father are plaintiffs in the pied-à-terre lawsuit, called the move “incredibly disrespectful” to the public.
“New Yorkers have been confused, alarmed and forced to spend their own time dealing with this rollout,” Morano posted on X. “The Council scheduled a public hearing so the administration could answer questions directly.
“Now they won’t even show up.”
While City Hall officials won’t be there in person Tuesday, the 1 p.m. hearing likely still will attract fireworks.
The anti-tax rally by the GOP is scheduled for 12 p.m., as is a rival assembly by Democratic Socialists of America supporters of the pied-à-terre levy.
“From the beginning, we have been clear that the pied-à-terre surcharge is an important source of revenue for our city,” Rauschenbach, the Mamdani spokesman, said in his statement.
“This revenue is essential to funding safer streets, cleaner parks and other critical investments that New Yorkers across all five boroughs deserve.”
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