Steven Fulop on NYC Business Climate and Mayor Adams's Performance

Winter Storm Response

• ❄️ Steven Fulop, Partnership for New York City President and CEO, believes Mayor Zohran Mamdani did a good job handling the recent winter storm.
• 🎯 Fulop, a former mayor of Jersey City, acknowledged the challenges of stepping into a new role with an existing bureaucracy.
• 🔑 He stated that the mayor, like any leader, should receive credit for successes and blame for failures.

Relationship with the Mayor

• 🤝 Fulop described his initial interactions with Mayor Mamdani as very positive, noting the mayor has been proactive and a good listener.
• 🗺️ He characterized the current situation as uncharted territory, referencing Mamdani's transition from an activist role to an executive one, comparing it to Bernie Sanders's past executive position.
• ⚖️ The Partnership for New York City aims to be supportive and helpful, while also being prepared to disagree where necessary.

Key Areas for Partnership

• 👶 In areas like child care, the Partnership, representing 350 CEOs and 500,000 employees, can offer valuable insights into what works.
• 💻 Similarly, they can contribute expertise on technology and bureaucracy.
• ⚠️ However, Fulop expressed disagreement with the mayor's tax policy, citing New York City's already high tax rates and negative job growth trends.

Advocacy and Business Community

• 🗣️ The Partnership intends to be more assertive in advocacy, having invested $10 million in a C4 for policy engagement.
• 💼 The focus is not just on avoiding harm but on creating a better environment for employees and being a more active part of the conversation.
• 📈 Fulop emphasized that New York City is in a fragile environment and requires engaged leadership from all stakeholders.