Activists Take Over City Hall: Mamdani’s Radical Appointments Roil NYC

Paul Riverbank, 12/16/2025Radical activist picks remake NYC politics as Mamdani reshapes City Hall, stirring fierce debate.

Rumors have been swirling, and not just because Mamdani’s appointments sound like names fresh off activist flyers. Take Ramzi Kassem, for example. You hear his name now and see people lean in a little, lowering their voices. These circles remember Kassem—not only for his lectures up at CUNY, but for his headline-grabbing legal defense work. In one breath, insiders mention Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia encampment figure Kassem helped keep on U.S. soil; in the next, they note his connection to Ahmed al-Darbi, notorious for orchestrating a tanker bombing tied to al Qaeda. Kassem’s career, like the city itself, seems forever entangled in bigger questions about lines, loyalty, and the law.

His background has inspired pointed commentary. Ken Frydman, who knows a thing or two about the city’s mood swings, told the Post that a Kassem appointment would raise red flags, particularly among Jewish residents. “There’s a difference between the right to a lawyer and the lawyer you pick,” Frydman remarked. And for those who like to dig, there’s enough material: fiery op-eds from Kassem’s Columbia years that criticize Israel with language certain to draw fire (“ethnic cleansing” being the phrase that sticks); a contempt for the two-state solution; an essay about the politics of a sandwich name that’s guaranteed to inflame some and amuse others.

The threads don’t end there. Beyond the law faculty, Kassem established a legal clinic at CUNY back in 2009 targeting services for Muslim New Yorkers and other marginalized groups. And, in a city that never tires of tracing finance back to its roots, his clinic’s millions in funding from the Open Society Foundations—yes, George Soros’s outfit—has provided ample material for those determined to question motives.

That roster of unconventional candidates doesn’t stop with Kassem. Steven Banks—whose own legal career could fill more columns than this—has found himself in the crosshairs, with some City Hall watchers worrying his activism portends a swing further left for the city’s legal direction.

And then you have Jack Gross, whose campaign fundraising for Mamdani put him on the radar just as old social posts resurfaced. During the local unrest of 2020, Gross, by his own admission, found a certain poetry in anti-police chants, even as he openly shared his more radical beliefs: branding America itself “a wicked nation” worth punishing for its transgressions. Support for Marx and vocal opposition to ICE rounds out a profile that, in another era, might’ve landed him on watch lists rather than municipal payrolls.

Looking further down the list, it becomes clear: Mamdani is threading a new needle. The rapper Mysonne Linen, with his complicated history—including time served behind bars—sits on the committee handling legal system issues. Lumumba Bandele, who’s spoken about Black nationalism and once publicly praised those convicted of killing police officers, helps direct community organizing. No one could accuse this incoming mayor of playing it safe with personnel choices.

These aren’t mere optics. They mark a break as sharp as any in recent municipal memory. Observers sense the significance: every appointee signals to some part of the city who will have a seat at the table. Not the centrists or quiet technocrats of prior administrations, but a coalition shaped from street protests, classrooms, legal battles, and public debates.

And yet—even amid all the hand-wringing—a different picture emerges at Mamdani’s public events. At a recent, marathon meet-and-greet held at the Museum of the Moving Image, the mayor-elect invited New Yorkers for three-minute personal pitches. Attendees queued up, nervously clutching notes or just hopes. One, Vinny Corletta, seeking more affordable family housing, left the session upbeat: “He was listening—literally writing down what I said,” Corletta told me, grinning.

This is not a city sleepwalking into a new era. Critics say Mamdani is ushering in activist governance at the expense of expertise; his defenders argue there’s urgency in resetting the status quo. Every act—every controversial pick, every listening session—feels laden with symbolism.

One thing’s certain: New York City’s next iteration won’t be business as usual. Gone are the quiet transitions, the inside baseball. The old playbook has been shredded, and while no one can say precisely what will follow, New Yorkers everywhere are watching, waiting, and—depending on their inclinations—either bracing for the worst or edging expectantly toward overdue change.

For anyone who’s spent time around New York’s City Hall, it’s clear there’s a buzz—a low, constant hum of conjecture and side conversations ever since Zohran Mamdani’s victory. Yet even by New York standards, the lead-up to his inauguration feels charged with something different, almost electric. You can see, in the anxious sidelong glances from city staffers, that this isn’t just another handover.Rumors have been swirling, and not just because Mamdani’s appointments sound like names fresh off activist flyers. Take Ramzi Kassem, for example. You hear his name now and see people lean in a little, lowering their voices. These circles remember Kassem—not only for his lectures up at CUNY, but for his headline-grabbing legal defense work. In one breath, insiders mention Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia encampment figure Kassem helped keep on U.S. soil; in the next, they note his connection to Ahmed al-Darbi, notorious for orchestrating a tanker bombing tied to al Qaeda. Kassem’s career, like the city itself, seems forever entangled in bigger questions about lines, loyalty, and the law.His background has inspired pointed commentary. Ken Frydman, who knows a thing or two about the city’s mood swings, told the Post that a Kassem appointment would raise red flags, particularly among Jewish residents. “There’s a difference between the right to a lawyer and the lawyer you pick,” Frydman remarked. And for those who like to dig, there’s enough material: fiery op-eds from Kassem’s Columbia years that criticize Israel with language certain to draw fire (“ethnic cleansing” being the phrase that sticks); a contempt for the two-state solution; an essay about the politics of a sandwich name that’s guaranteed to inflame some and amuse others.The threads don’t end there. Beyond the law faculty, Kassem established a legal clinic at CUNY back in 2009 targeting services for Muslim New Yorkers and other marginalized groups. And, in a city that never tires of tracing finance back to its roots, his clinic’s millions in funding from the Open Society Foundations—yes, George Soros’s outfit—has provided ample material for those determined to question motives.That roster of unconventional candidates doesn’t stop with Kassem. Steven Banks—whose own legal career could fill more columns than this—has found himself in the crosshairs, with some City Hall watchers worrying his activism portends a swing further left for the city’s legal direction.And then you have Jack Gross, whose campaign fundraising for Mamdani put him on the radar just as old social posts resurfaced. During the local unrest of 2020, Gross, by his own admission, found a certain poetry in anti-police chants, even as he openly shared his more radical beliefs: branding America itself “a wicked nation” worth punishing for its transgressions. Support for Marx and vocal opposition to ICE rounds out a profile that, in another era, might’ve landed him on watch lists rather than municipal payrolls.Looking further down the list, it becomes clear: Mamdani is threading a new needle. The rapper Mysonne Linen, with his complicated history—including time served behind bars—sits on the committee handling legal system issues. Lumumba Bandele, who’s spoken about Black nationalism and once publicly praised those convicted of killing police officers, helps direct community organizing. No one could accuse this incoming mayor of playing it safe with personnel choices.These aren’t mere optics. They mark a break as sharp as any in recent municipal memory. Observers sense the significance: every appointee signals to some part of the city who will have a seat at the table. Not the centrists or quiet technocrats of prior administrations, but a coalition shaped from street protests, classrooms, legal battles, and public debates.And yet—even amid all the hand-wringing—a different picture emerges at Mamdani’s public events. At a recent, marathon meet-and-greet held at the Museum of the Moving Image, the mayor-elect invited New Yorkers for three-minute personal pitches. Attendees queued up, nervously clutching notes or just hopes. One, Vinny Corletta, seeking more affordable family housing, left the session upbeat: “He was listening—literally writing down what I said,” Corletta told me, grinning.This is not a city sleepwalking into a new era. Critics say Mamdani is ushering in activist governance at the expense of expertise; his defenders argue there’s urgency in resetting the status quo. Every act—every controversial pick, every listening session—feels laden with symbolism.One thing’s certain: New York City’s next iteration won’t be business as usual. Gone are the quiet transitions, the inside baseball. The old playbook has been shredded, and while no one can say precisely what will follow, New Yorkers everywhere are watching, waiting, and—depending on their inclinations—either bracing for the worst or edging expectantly toward overdue change.