Brad Lander, former New York City Comptroller and 2025 mayoral candidate, joined the show to discuss his campaign for Congress in New York's 10th Congressional District, which includes Lower Manhattan and a swathe of Brooklyn. Lander is challenging Rep. Dan Goldman in the June 2026 Democratic primary for one of New York's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. (Ep 561)

Ben Furnas and Sara Lind — leaders of Transportation Alternatives and Open Plans, respectively, and members of Mayor Mamdani's transition committee — joined the show to discuss ideas for creating a more livable city with improvements for how people get around, use outdoor space, and enjoy the city. They discussed ideas and expectations for Mamdani on street safety, open space, traffic, bike lanes, outdoor dining, use of the curb, and much more, and touched on how Mayor Adams did on those issues. (Ep 560)

Diane Savino — recently a senior advisor to Mayor Eric Adams (2023-25) and previously longtime state senator (2005-22) — joined the show to discuss her work in the Adams administration and the former mayor's legacy, the start of Zohran Mamdani's mayoralty, how government works and doesn't, the state-level passage of Medical Aid in Dying legislation that she worked on as a senator, and more. (Ep 559)

Urban historian Thomas Dyja and political strategist Dr. Basil Smikle Jr. joined the show to put Eric Adams' mayoralty and Zohran Mamdani's inauguration into modern historical context. They joined host Ben Max to discuss the meaning of the Eric Adams era and its impact on the city, how Adams fits in the modern pantheon of mayors, and the meaning of Mamdani's election to succeed Adams, including the hopes and questions about his budding mayoralty. Dyja is the author of several books, including New York New York New York: Four Decades of Success, Excess, and Transformation. Smikle Jr. has been involved in many political campaigns in New York, is a former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, and is currently a professor in and director of the master's program in nonprofit management at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies, among other roles in politics and academia. (Ep 558)

Tom Allon — longtime journalist, publisher of City & State magazine, and former informal advisor to Eric Adams who helped him with "mayor school" – joined the show to consider Adams' tenure and legacy as Mayor of New York City. (Ep 557)

Vijah Ramjattan, Executive Director of the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes in the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, joined the show to discuss the office's efforts to prevent bias-based crimes, what makes the difference in increases and decreases in hate crimes, the importance of education and community-building, and more. (Ep 556)

Betsy Plum, Executive Director of Riders Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group, and a member of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's transition committee, joined the show to discuss Mamdani's campaign promise of "fast and free buses" in New York City, how to really speed up the city's notoriously slow buses, whether free buses is the right goal and how to get there if so, and more. (Ep 555)

Christian Klossner, Executive Director of New York City's Office of Special Enforcement, joined the show to discuss the shifting legal and regulatory landscape around Airbnb and other short-term rental platforms, and his office's education and enforcement work as New York City has sought to eradicate tens of thousands of illegal short-term rental listings while allowing a legal market to flourish. (Ep 554)

Julie Menin, the presumptive next Speaker of the New York City Council, joined host Ben Max and Andrew Rein, president of Citizens Budget Commission, for a conversation at New York Law School on her path to the speakership, her priorities when she takes the position in January, how she plans to work with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and more. The event took place on December 10, 2025 and was hosted by NYLS' Center for New York City and State Law and Citizens Budget Commission. Menin declared victory in the speaker race in late November, and will have to be officially voted into the position by her Council colleagues in early January. (Ep 553)

New York City Council Member Tiffany Cabán, a Queens Democrat, joined the show to discuss the growth of the NYC-DSA, her exploration of a run for Congress in NY-7, the Council speaker race won by Julie Menin, prospects for Zohran Mamdani's mayoralty, and more. (Ep 552)

From a live event held on November 20 at New York Law School, host Ben Max talks with four experts who have experience across the last several mayoral administrations and transitions: Anthony Crowell (NYLS Dean; former Counselor to the Mayor), Jennifer Jones Austin (FPWA CEO; co-chair of the 2013 mayoral transition), Meera Joshi (President of Green-Wood; former Deputy Mayor of Operations) , and Emma Wolfe (Chief of Staff to the NYU President; former Deputy Mayor for Administration). They spoke about the keys to a successful mayoral transition, how to best organize and run city government, lessons from Mayors Bloomberg, de Blasio, and Adams, advice for Mayor-elect Mamdani, and more. (Ep 551)

City Council Member Crystal Hudson, a Brooklyn Democrat, joined the show to discuss her bid to become the next Speaker of the City Council. She is among five candidates vying for the legislative leadership position, which will be decided upon by the 51 Council members of the new class seated in January. Hudson discussed her accomplishments in the Council thus far, her approach to leadership, her relationship with Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, and more. (Ep 550)

Harry Siegel — an editor at The City, co-host of FAQ NYC, and Moynihan Fellow at City College — joined the show to discuss the agreement between Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch for her to remain in that position in the new administration. Siegel and host Ben Max discuss how this decision came to be, specific areas of policing that they must navigate, potential pitfalls, how it coincides with Mamdani's planned Department of Community Safety, and more. (Ep 549)

Rich Azzopardi, a longtime spokesperson for Andrew Cuomo in government and politics, joined the show to discuss Cuomo's 2025 mayoral campaign, how things shifted from the primary to the general election, and more. Azzopardi was a senior advisor and director of communications in the governor's office under Cuomo and then, after Cuomo resigned in 2021, founded his own public affairs firm, Bulldog Strategies. He led communications on Cuomo's 2025 mayoral campaign. (Ep 547)

On this episode, we break down Zohran Mamdani's victory to become the next Mayor of New York City, what it means for Democrats in New York and beyond, and what comes next for Mamdani as he enters City Hall. First, an interview with Maya Handa, who was Mamdani's general election campaign manager. Then, Rebecca Katz and Morris Katz (no relation) of Fight Agency discuss elements of Mamdani's success that Morris helped craft as his lead media strategist, lessons from Bill de Blasio's tenure he needs to take into City Hall, and much more. (Ep 546)

In our final episode, we talk about the future of New York City under Mayor Elect Zohran Mamdani and who he will surround himself with to help him accomplish his vision. We’re also joined by Patrick Gaspard, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, former key Obama aide and now key advisor to Mamdani, to talk about this historic moment. — FAQ NYC and Max Politics are teaming up for a limited series, coming to you every Tuesday through November, featuring special guests who will help us dig into the latest in the mayor's race – and what's at stake for New Yorkers. City Hall Free For All is brought to you with generous support from Jamie Rubin and Vital City. This week's episode was hosted by Christina Greer, Katie Honan, Ben Max and Harry Siegel. Our Senior Producer is Giulia Hjort, and Noah Smith is our engineer. Our series consultants are Jess Hackel and Courtney Harrell. Music from Epidemic Sound.

State Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, a Queens Democrat and close ally of Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani, joined the show to discuss Mamdani's victory and the path ahead for his agenda, especially in Albany, where much power lies. (Ep 544)

The Election Night results are in: Zohran Mamdani will be New York City’s 111th Mayor. Our hosts react to Mamdani’s big win over Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, with over 1 million votes out of more than 2 million cast, and discuss his rousing, defiant victory speech and what comes next. — FAQ NYC and Max Politics are teaming up for a limited series, coming to you every Tuesday through November, featuring special guests who will help us dig into the latest in the mayor's race – and what's at stake for New Yorkers. City Hall Free For All is brought to you with generous support from Jamie Rubin and Vital City. This week's episode was hosted by Christina Greer, Katie Honan, Ben Max and Harry Siegel. Our Senior Producer is Giulia Hjort, and Noah Smith is our engineer. Our series consultants are Jess Hackel and Courtney Harrell. Music from Epidemic Sound.

For a final pre-election preview of the 2025 race to be the next Mayor of New York City, a three-part episode: 1) Political analyst Michael Lange and pollster Adam Carlson on the final polls of the mayoral race, the early voting turnout, & expectations for the outcome; 2) Nada Al-Hanooti of Defend and Advance, a Super PAC working to turn out Muslim voters to support Zohran Mamdani; and 3) Republican strategist Chapin Fay with his thoughts on GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa, calls for Sliwa to drop out and endorse Andrew Cuomo, and various related political dynamics. (Ep 543)

Longtime New York journalists and policy analysts Nicole Gelinas and Josh Greenman joined the show to discuss some of the big questions about mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani's big promises, namely his top policy pledges of freezing the rent on rent-stabilized apartments, free buses, and universal child care, as well as increased taxes to pay for his agenda, and more, like a $30 minimum wage and a Department of Community Safety. Gelinas is a Manhattan Institute senior fellow and contributing opinion writer at the New York Times and Greenman is managing editor at Vital City. (EP 542)