On one of the first chilly nights of fall, union members, Democratic Socialists, scientists, and teachers filed into the pews of a Brooklyn church for what they called the “People’s Hearing for Public Renewables.” Zohran Mamdani — fresh off winning his Democratic primary, and expected to become the next mayor of New York City — wasn’t there, but he loomed over the festivities Many in the crowd believed they were on the verge of finally gaining an ally with the power to help achieve their longstanding goal: A New York almost entirely powered by publicly owned and regulated renewable energy.
New York’s public-renewables campaign “was instrumental in getting Zohran elected,” state Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes said of Mamdani’s primary win that night. They want an expanded public power system, utilities and renewable generation owned and regulated by community stakeholders, not corporations. That campaign, which began in earnest four years ago, was driven by a small group of progressive and socialist legislators in Albany: among them, Zohran Mamdani, who was elected to the Assembly in 2020. He has since rallied that same base – experienced canvassers, people used to hiking up six-floor walk-ups and texting their friends to rally for a policy or for a candidate – for his election as mayor.
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