New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is employing a strategy dubbed "pothole politics," focusing on fixing everyday urban annoyances to build public trust and political capital. This approach, a modern interpretation of "sewer socialism" that propelled 20th-century leftists into office, has resonated with New Yorkers long accustomed to municipal services taking an extended time to address their concerns.
Mamdani has accelerated pothole repairs, with one New Yorker observing under a mayoral post, “If this is democratic socialism, maybe it is the change we need.” Beyond potholes, the city has also updated its ubiquitous, often unsightly, scaffolding. These visible improvements, sometimes overseen by the mayor himself, have become a form of political currency in a city where infrastructure projects can seem perpetually delayed.
Public policy experts note a current "thirst for competence," and Mamdani is credited with bringing "a sense of joy and fun to the nuts and bolts of public administration." This focus on tangible, easily understood issues contrasts with more complex policy promises. Justin de Benedictis-Kessner, a professor at Harvard, notes that pairing difficult campaign promises with clear issues like potholes makes them more accessible to voters.
“If government can’t do the small things,” Mamdani stated at a rally marking his first 100 days, “how could you ever trust it to do the big ones? How can we promise to transform our city if we can’t pave your street?” Data suggests this strategy has national implications; studies show that slower pothole repairs correlate with decreased life satisfaction in Chicago, and Boston residents reported increased trust in government after seeing responses to issues like potholes and broken street lamps.
This tactic is not without historical precedent. Milwaukee’s socialist mayors in the early 20th century focused on small-scale engineering projects, earning the nickname "sewer socialists." Professor Philip Rocco of Marquette University explained that these mayors understood the power of demonstrating government's ability to deliver broadly beneficial services, effectively "picking really low-hanging fruit as a way of building a coalition."
Milwaukee’s mayors ultimately oversaw significant city growth, built a pioneering sewage treatment plant, and established efficiency bureaus, all while implementing numerous low-cost urban improvements that enhanced daily life. This historical example demonstrates how competence in basic services can lead to broader civic achievements.
Mamdani, who references Milwaukee's socialist mayors, appears to be actively working against the perception that progressives are out of touch with practical governance. Public policy professor Don Moynihan suggests Mamdani may also be influenced by the "broken windows" theory's emphasis on addressing small quality-of-life issues.
While Mamdani's approach has garnered public trust, the challenge remains in leveraging this goodwill for more substantial policy changes. Experts like de Benedictis-Kessner suggest this may involve a mix of popular, less impactful policies alongside more effective, but less palatable, ones. For instance, embracing rent control, while popular, may signal responsiveness to constituents and build trust for larger-scale reforms like zoning changes.
Mamdani's administration recently announced a $4 billion, 10-year project to rebuild a section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, a task that has eluded previous mayoral administrations. The success of this ambitious infrastructure project will likely depend on the public trust cultivated through his "pothole politics."
Public trust built on visible improvements, like filling potholes or updating scaffolding, can lay the groundwork for tackling larger, more complex urban challenges. However, as Moynihan notes, demonstrating that government can effectively deliver on basic services makes the argument for allocating resources to more significant projects much more compelling.