By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Navigating New York’s bureaucratic systems can be incredibly difficult, often leaving residents like Jennifer M. struggling to access essential government assistance. However, the office of then-Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, and his constituent services director, Mariela Ortiz, demonstrated the power of responsive government by directly addressing resident’s problems. Facing a crisis, Mamdani’s office intervened to secure housing assistance for Jennifer M.’s mother-in-law, ultimately resolving her housing issues. Now, Mamdani, as New York City’s mayor-elect, plans to extend this approach to a much broader population, prioritizing accessible and efficient government services as a key element of his administration.
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NYC’s socialist mayor has a radical proposal: making government do its job. It’s truly astonishing how the simple idea of a government actually functioning for its citizens has become a point of contention, even labeled “radical.” The fact that someone prioritizing affordable housing and worker support is labeled a “socialist” – while arguably just implementing decent policy for a city increasingly priced out of reach for many – is a sign of how far the political pendulum has swung. The core premise, that elected officials are employed *by* the people to serve the people, shouldn’t be a revolutionary concept.
Making government do its job might be considered boring, but that’s exactly what’s needed. The best leadership is often the one that quietly gets things done, without fanfare or self-aggrandizement. The electorate should remember that when someone is elected into office, they are there to work on our behalf. The focus should be on practical solutions rather than catchy slogans, prioritizing substance over superficiality.
The notion that government should be “boring” highlights an important point. Citizens shouldn’t constantly feel the need to protect themselves from their own government. Government should be reliable, efficient, and responsive to the needs of its people. This means providing essential services and creating a stable environment where citizens can thrive. It means addressing the fundamental issues that affect people’s daily lives – like housing, worker rights, and education – rather than prioritizing policies that primarily benefit the wealthy or a select few.
The fact that any elected official needs to be pressured into doing the job they were elected to do indicates how broken the current system is. The goal should be to make government a tool for positive change, a facilitator of progress, not a barrier to it. This involves recognizing the government’s role in addressing the problems faced by its citizens.
Many people think it is naive to think that one legislator in charge would be able to fix all the problems. Some of the problems that the elected official faces would be the cronyism that currently exists. But some of the things that can be fixed would be ensuring that social service agencies get more money for all of the understaffing that it faces, which is expected to provide more services. It depends on how you define making the government do its job because that is the problem. Americans don’t want to pay taxes but they want the government to do almost everything for them. Home ownership is not for everyone but everyone thinks they should own a home. Americans hate taxes but wonder why their kids are not getting educated. And the last shocker is that neither government nor business are responsible for employment.
The rise of neoliberalism, starting around the mid-1970s, played a significant role in this shift. With the emphasis on “small government,” there was a corresponding decline in government services and support for the working class. This era saw wealth consolidation at the top, while wages stagnated for many.
Doing anything at all is considered radical in today’s political climate. Change of any kind is seen as going against the status quo, even basic elements of leadership. The government’s purpose is to assist its citizens and ensure that their needs are met, including the federal government, which is failing the people.