All hail Blessed Zohran, Protector of Children and Parks, Champion of the Poor and Budget Wizard Supreme: Progressive media have pulled out all the stops praising Mayor Mamdani\u2019s miracle of (supposedly) plugging a $12 billion gap without hurting the poor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Or, as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweet-cheered<\/a>: \u201cA triumphant accomplishment and a demonstration of what we can accomplish together,\u201d also hailing Mamdani\u2019s \u201cvisionary leadership\u201d as he \u201cnever gave up on a city that works for all New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n Balderdash: For starters, it was never more than a $5.4 billion gap, and that was because of all the areas where he wanted to boost spending in his $124.7 billion plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\tMore From\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPost Editorial Board<\/p>\n He blamed Mayor Eric Adams for the shortfall, but wouldn\u2019t reverse any outlays his predecessor had upped \u2014 except, of course, for the NYPD. <\/p>\n The city\u2019s tax income rose markedly this last year, making the \u201cgreatest budget crisis since the Great Recession\u201d as phony as Mamdani\u2019s grin.<\/p>\n Lucky for him, Gov. Kathy Hochul needs his support for her re-election run; to get it, she handed him at least $4 billion worth of bailout: a new tax on pied-a-terre apartments and an OK to shortchange payments to city pension funds (four of the five, incidentally, are already underfunded now, even by generous government-accounting standards), as well as some money for child-care and (temporary) suspension of state-mandated (but otherwise needless) teacher hiring.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tGet opinions and commentary from our columnists\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter!\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n She won\u2019t need him next year, when the city already faces a $7 billion gap.<\/p>\n