Will Zoran Mamdani be able to reorganize the DNC?
New York City Mayor-elect Zoran Mamdani’s campaign has put affordability at the forefront of his campaign. It succeeded in striking a nerve with young voters.
Zoran Mamdani’s high-profile election as mayor of New York has put a spotlight on the role local governments play in housing issues. Mamdani has campaigned for affordability, and while some of his specific proposals may be less relevant or even impossible to implement in other cities around the country, his message seems to resonate everywhere.
Other mayors have long grappled with the housing crisis in their own backyards. A January 2025 report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that more than half of the 120 mayors surveyed expect their cities to be short by thousands of housing units over the next few years.
To find out what’s happening around the country, USA TODAY spoke to five mayors, all of whom say housing is a priority. Most people gave Mamdani some advice, but one person disagreed. Each had a lot to say about their challenges.
The interview has been edited for clarity.
Carmel, Indiana
Republican Mayor Sue Finkum was elected mayor of this small city just north of Indianapolis in 2023. Finkham is proud of the accolades Carmel has received from national media, including Best Small City in America by Wallet Hub and No. 2 Best Place to Live in America by Architectural Digest.
While this will help attract new residents, Carmel is also working to retain and bring back those who grew up here but feel overpriced.
The apartment complex is controversial in the city, Finkum told USA TODAY. Until recently, Carmel had few housing options, but she believes there is value in having “diversity” in housing options. Many longtime residents thought apartments were a “bad thing,” but recent efforts to build more housing near the railroad tracks have changed many people’s views.
“We did a thorough investigation of who was living in the apartments…and found that about a third were over the age of 55,” Finkum said.
“Some people moved here after coronavirus and couldn’t find a home. Some people have lived here forever, and some people want to try this lifestyle. ‘Well, I signed a six-month lease, but I don’t want to walk the dog, go see the neighbors, have a coffee. I realized that it’s really cool to drink and be really active. I realized that it’s really cool to be in the heart of a community where everything is happening.” Now people are renewing their leases and canceling their plans to buy a home. ”
Most of the city’s housing stock is two-story, four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath homes on half-acre lots, “not ideal for young people, not ideal for empty-nesters,” Finkum said. To encourage people to “right size” and provide ownership opportunities, the city is prioritizing condominium development.
Providence, Rhode Island
Democrat Brett Smiley will be the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, in 2023. Since then, he has devoted much of his time to housing issues, calling them an “urgent” priority.
“Last year, we ranked on some of the fastest growing rent lists in the country,” Smiley said. While he’s happy people are choosing Providence, he’s disappointed that longtime residents are having a hard time staying put. “We don’t want it to be a place where only certain people can stay.”
To engage local residents, city leaders held nearly 100 public meetings throughout the city over the course of a year and a half.
“Everyone had a chance to see what was being proposed so it wasn’t just hearsay or fear,” Smiley explained. “You could actually look at the map, touch it, feel it, see your blocks… No one felt like it was being done. to they. I felt like I was being beaten. and they. And I’m really proud of my community for being a part of that process and being willing to do things that most cities and towns wouldn’t do.
Asked if he had any advice for Mayor-elect Mamdani, Smiley said, “When problems are complex, be wary of simple solutions. “We’re concerned about not losing homes, so instead of taking one step forward with new construction, we’re taking two steps back by shutting down older affordable properties. And we’re providing protection to our tenants because we know they need it.” that. ”
Clearfield, Utah
This small city, about 32 miles north of Salt Lake, is home to Hill Air Force Base. Republican Mark Shepard was first elected mayor in 2013. Shepherd laughs and calls the mayor’s job a “part-time job.” He also operates a real estate brokerage business in the city.
“A few years ago, we started to see the real problem with our Airmen: They’re having to double, triple, quadruple (live) in apartments in order to afford housing… They’re in my food bank because they can’t pay rent. To me, that’s criminal,” Shepherd told USA TODAY.
Shepherd said he feels developers, real estate agents and lawmakers are blaming the city for the housing shortage because the area’s zoning is “terrible.”
“There’s some truth to this, but to me one of the most dangerous things you can ever say is, ‘Hey, cities, we’re going to take away your zoning rights. We’re going to…allow multifamily and dense housing everywhere.'” He is a passionate supporter of control with people who live in communities. “We know what works in our city.”
Shepherd said it’s a blunt weapon for the state Legislature to wrest local control away because some cities aren’t doing what they should be doing. “Legally, we can’t say Shepherd City is the bad guy and we’re going to punish Shepherd City. … We have to do that for the entire state.”
Advice for Mamdani: “Look to the future…not just the here and now…we have to look forward and say, OK, what is this going to do for us in the long run? If we don’t, we’re going to create more problems…When we lowered interest rates the way we did to stimulate the economy, it was meant to be a short-term fix. And we left it that way for too long and now we’re facing the consequences.”
Raleigh, North Carolina
Democrat Janet Cowell was elected in 2024. Housing was at the top of her list of priorities. Like other mayors interviewed by USA TODAY, her state capital city has experienced explosive growth in recent years.
“A lot of people just want to see you build affordable units, and if you build anything else, you’re ignoring the needs of the community,” Cowell said. “I was just reading an email from a constituent and I was saying, if you approve this housing, you’re showing that you don’t care. Why not build housing for people who need it instead of market-rate luxury housing?” Some residents want more inclusivity in housing plans than is realistic, Cowell found. For example, building affordable housing in expensive areas of downtown.
“We understand that,” she said. “But the subsidy for one unit downtown could be $200,000… whereas the subsidy for one unit on the outskirts of town could be $20,000. Yes, we need to put stakes in the ground and have some affordable units downtown. I mean, there are these real trade-offs. But what’s the balance? I think it’s better to house 10 people than provide housing for one person, even if that might be necessary. ”
Cowell is focused on constituent concerns, but her priorities are “results…I’m trying to get housing back on track. The metrics I’m interested in are both affordable subsidized units and all market units. We’ll educate (residents) as best we can, but then we’ll make decisions and just keep moving,” she said.
Her advice to Mayor-elect Mamdani is that local context is “everything” but that local efforts occur within an “interconnected” web of different levels of government.
“Different regions have different (housing) toolkits,” she told USA TODAY. “It’s a complex negotiation and relationship management exercise to move forward at a local level and try to have independence and ownership, but know that you have to work and consider all the other stakeholders. They’ll definitely have an opinion. I think they’ve shown recently that they’re increasingly wanting to do things that take control away from local people and influence us.”
columbus ohio
Many of the mayors interviewed hold one or more roles in national leadership groups. Andrew Ginther, a Democrat who has been mayor of Columbus since 2016, is the immediate past president of the influential U.S. Conference of Mayors, a role in which he sought to address the national housing crisis.
Columbus is also the capital, and like the other municipalities featured here, has seen significant population growth over the years. Local government leaders expect another population boom in the coming years. To address the city’s housing needs, Ginther focuses on other stakeholders.
“Ten years ago, many private sector leaders thought this was more of a moral issue,” Ginther said. “It’s the right thing to want to fight homelessness. They now know the trajectory of our economic development and our ability to continue to grow our economy and our ability to attract the best talent from across the state, the nation, and around the world…depends on housing. Without a place for families to live, our ability to continue to grow and create jobs is at risk.”
The Columbus region needs 200,000 more homes over the next 10 years, according to the report, and he volunteered to build half of that, 100,000 in the city.
Ginther believes part of being a leader as a city is acting locally. He understands that not every community can commit to every type of housing, for example supportive housing for people emerging from homelessness.
“But anyone can do a 55-plus community, anyone can do multifamily housing for seniors. I’ll take on some of the more challenging and difficult people. But I need everyone to do their part…I need the rest of the region to step up and update their zoning codes and land use policies and take housing seriously.”
Ginther didn’t want to give specific advice to the next mayor of New York, but said the best way to have the greatest impact and grow a sustainable movement is to “bring everyone together around common themes and values and invite everyone to be part of the solution. People may not choose to accept the invitation. They may not want to be part of the larger effort, but[the more you try]the more you can accomplish.”
