I had the good fortune of serving as Chief of Staff to Yume Kitasei during peak Covid. As @mayor.nyc.gov said "Yume is the perfect person to lead @nycdcas.bsky.social ...like many New Yorkers, Yume contains multitudes." Yume is unflappable, whip smart, kind, and an all-around wonderful pick.

“New Yorkers are facing soaring housing costs. Today, the environmental review process often gets abused by 1 person who’s trying to stop affordable housing right above a transit stop. That’s crazy, and it's not serving our affordability or climate goals." @AnnemarieGray.bsky.social

Excited to talk SEQRA modernization with @errollouis.bsky.social on Inside City Hall tonight — tune in on NY1!

“Even to build 83 units has taken so much struggle. That should not be so hard. This is an example of the scale of progress that was held up… We want to build as much as possible across this city, for those who call this city home and those who would love to.” @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social

We’re here in the Bronx alongside @NYCMayor and more to celebrate the resumption of the Just Home project, which will create 70 affordable homes with services for formerly-incarcerated New Yorkers. This long-overdue project is an act of compassion for our fellow New Yorkers.

I've increasingly come to view cynicism as the seedbed of totalitarianism, both because it can paralyze the opposition and because it implicitly validates the might-makes-right ethic of the authoritarian.

Excellent video from our new Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning!

You probably don't know what SEQRA is - but you should know that it's slowing down the housing that we need. Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg is here to explain why reforming it is key to cutting red tape and building more housing.

The case against Graeberism and for Mamdanism dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...

🚨 NEW: New York State is modernizing its environmental review process to ensure that infill housing, clean energy, and climate resiliency infrastructure doesn’t get blocked by endless lawsuits and delays.

@governor.ny.gov calls to reform SEQRA environmental reviews: “Right now they slow down the very projects that help us fight climate change, create housing, and strengthen our communities.” It’s time to end those delays and deliver for New Yorkers.

@ZohranKMamdani.bsky.social calls for modernizing environmental review “to deliver an affordability agenda on the timetable needed.” “We cannot address our housing crisis without making it easier to build in NYC.”

We were proud to join @ZohranKMamdani.bsky.social in Central Park today. "I joined this because Zohran is committed to the all-of-the-above approach to the housing crisis that NYC needs—one that protects current tenants while also building the homes future families need." @AnnemarieGray.bsky.social

In a span of barely five years, @opennewyork.org went from a band of ragtag volunteers to a professional organization driving a strong pro-housing agenda in Albany and New York City. If you aren't already involved, get involved! www.onyeducation.org/membership/

Learning that Annemarie Gray (no relation) of Open New York, NYC's YIMBY group, has been appointed to Mayor-elect Mamdani's housing transition team. This is FANTASTIC news!

Absolutely screaming with excitement at @annemariegray.bsky.social of @opennewyork.org being named to @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social's housing transition committee. So well-earned by Annemarie & such a good sign for the Mamdani administration.

We’re here in Central Park with Mayor-Elect @ZohranKMamdani.bsky.social to announce that our Executive Director @AnnemarieGray.bsky.social will be joining his transition committee on housing!

NEW: ALL FOUR PRO-HOUSING BALLOT QUESTIONS PASS!!! For the first time, New Yorkers had the chance to choose more housing at the ballot box—and they chose it overwhelmingly. This is a historic victory for housing that will help make NYC more affordable. 🧵

Today, New York voters made history, passing Proposals 2-5 and clearing the way for the affordable housing we deserve! ✅🌆🗳️ @opennewyork.org @bradlander.bsky.social @marklevinenyc.bsky.social @donovanrichards.bsky.social @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social

86,000 New Yorkers are in shelters on a given night, the vacancy rate is 1.4%, and rents are at a record high. @annemariegray.bsky.social explains how we arrived at the most severe housing crisis in a century and why it can be solved. www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/new...

New York City calls itself a refuge for queer and trans Americans, but that promise is at risk if we don't take on the housing crisis head on. Read my op-ed about the need to build more housing to reduce rents, in this case, via the OneLIC project: gaycitynews.com/new-york-rem...

In the primary, Cuomo distinguished himself from the Democratic field by pledging to protect low-density neighborhoods from development. That kind of NIMBYism is fine if you're a sophisticated mega-developer used to operating under the status quo. benjaminschneider.substack.com/p/cuomo-is-t...

Got asked be a reporter about what a "national housing emergency" could accomplish. My answer: "If Trump wants to do something productive about the housing crisis, he should 1.) rescind the tariffs, 2.) stop the deportations, 3.) stop the military occupations of U.S. cities, and 4.) resign."

Thanks to incredible work by our members, staff, @yesonaffhousing.bsky.social , and an extraordinary pro-housing coalition, the BOE has voted to approve the housing ballot questions!!! This antidemocratic move was rejected because NYers deserve a chance to choose a more affordable future.

Today we're thrilled to launch @yesonaffhousing.bsky.social, a campaign to pass 4 historic pro-housing ballot measures in NYC. These measures are the first of their kind, and we're going to reach hundreds of thousands of voters to help ensure they understand the stakes.

“This is the first time a major American city is going to put meaningful systemic changes to the politics of housing growth on the ballot,” said Open New York Executive Director @annemariegray.bsky.social

"This brazen gambit should fail — for two reasons. First, the ballot language is plenty clear. Second, the BOE has no power to reject proposed charter revisions."

It’s not just Republicans in Washington and Texas who are undermining our democracy—it’s happening right here in NYC. Tell the Board of Elections to do their job, follow the law, and let New Yorkers decide our housing future: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

This would be an outrageous abuse of the Board of Elections role in order to override the democratic process.

This is undemocratic and brazenly illegal. This Board of Elections coup could deny NYC voters the chance to help end our housing crisis.

Less than a year after passing, City of Yes is bringing a new industry to New York: Accessory Dwelling Units “There's no historic industry around building them," said @annemariegray.bsky.social, "so it's a really good chance for a new and diverse generation of builders to get it started.”

The Midtown South Mixed-Use rezoning was just approved by the @council.nyc.gov Land-Use Committee! This will bring nearly 10,000 new homes to one of New York’s most central neighborhoods. 🧵

The Governor has enormous powers to solve New York’s housing crisis, both in NYC and across the state. This claim is ridiculous, and New Yorkers aren’t falling for it.

Our Executive Director @annemariegray.bsky.social on the four housing Charter amendments via @nytimes.com

The Charter Revision Commission just approved the 5 questions that will be on ballots for NYC voters this November! This includes 4 housing questions, which would collectively represent a huge step forward for affordability in New York. 🧵

lots of speculation about the obamas getting divorced but the thing you have to understand is that we need affordable housing

We're thrilled that the Charter Revision Commission has chosen to focus its efforts on our housing shortage, the largest crisis facing our city today.

Thank you to more than two dozen pro-housing leaders—incl. @nadler.house.gov @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social @bkbpreynoso.bsky.social @bradlander.bsky.social, @bradhoylmansigal.bsky.social and @marklevinenyc.bsky.social—who signed an amicus brief opposing the frivolous lawsuit to overturn City of Yes.

Our housing crisis is the greatest challenge facing our city, and the Charter Revision Commission must stay laser‑focused on fixing it. Facing staggering rents 150% higher than the national average, we urge them to place the four housing questions on the November 2025 ballot. 🧵

That's right

At our panel on housing doc Fault Lines with @mtorresspringer.bsky.social, @cmcrystalhudson.bsky.social, @lauranahmias.bsky.social, director Yoav Attias, and @annemariegray.bsky.social!

Biggest YIMBY victory yet in California and hopefully an inflection point in the long fight to make this state an affordable and welcoming place.

I explain the significance of this historic pro-housing victory in this thread. 👇 bsky.app/profile/mnol...

I genuinely cannot believe how many Democrats are spending their energy on destroying Mamdani when the GOP is trying to turn ICE into a full on secret police by drastically raising their budget

But really though

The biggest dividing line based on this map is that Cuomo did best in neighborhoods with the most people who have cars while Mamdani won among people who take the subway.

Wondering what @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social has done on housing? Read our 🧵 on his record of support for more homes:

Feels like ranked choice was absolutely decisive in this race—not because of the vote count, but because of how it changed the incentives from zero-sum to cooperapetitive. It allowed a fractured left field to align organically through co-endorsements instead of falling into a circular firing squad.

Hope and solidarity won tonight, and will win again in November. Congratulations, @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social

Ben Wetzler is a dedicated public servant and would make a killer Councilmember for the East Side! I'm proud to call him a friend and be canvass for him even in the H E A T D O M E 🌞😎