You voted for Mamdani. You really hope he succeeds. You just don't know if he will be able to.
Sound familiar? After the election, some version of that story was everywhere — group chats, dinner tables, the subway platform. And three months in, when you haven't heard a word about free buses, it's easy to assume that change isn't going to happen.
But here's the thing — change is happening. 3,000 more families will have free childcare in the fall. A task force is looking for sites to build 25,000 affordable homes. A new office popped up to address mental health crises.
The problem is that this progress rarely makes the news. And unless you're the kind of person who digs through city council databases for fun or subscribes to City Hall's remarkably prolific press room, you'd never know.
I'm not building the Mamdani Meter for clicks, scrolls, or ad revenue. My goal is for you to get the answer you need and an extra burst of hope in under 60 seconds.
Let me be transparent: I'm rooting for this mayor. I started building this site on day 20 of his administration, and there was already so much progress that I had a lot to report. So my optimism isn't a bias — it's a conclusion I drew from the data. Rest assured, if a promise gets blocked or stalled, that will be recorded here too.
Zohran gave us hope of a better city. This site is here to sustain it — to show you, week by week, that change is actually on its way. And next time someone in your life says "I don't see anything happening," you'll have somewhere to point them.
I started my career in government — a congressional office, policy advocacy, campaign operations — and then spent the next decade building programs and systems at tech startups, from cybersecurity to AI.
I also founded a media platform called Kahaani that changed how South Asian history is represented in classrooms and media. I hosted and produced a history podcast that hit the Top 100 on Apple Podcasts. Variety Magazine once called me "A Voice to Watch."
I built the Mamdani Meter because I voted for Mamdani and then couldn't stop thinking about whether and how any of it would actually happen. Turns out a decade of building dashboards, synthesizing complex information, and tracking progress across competing workstreams is surprisingly useful for following a mayor's to-do list.
What promises are included?
I track policy and budget-related commitments from candidate Mamdani's official website (zohranfornyc.com/platform), not every idea ever mentioned on the campaign trail.
What promises are you not tracking?
Tactical steps that exist mainly to serve a bigger goal. For example: Mamdani pledged to reopen the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants on day one (which he did), but that action is really just scaffolding for his broader promise to ban landlords with repeat violations. So it lives as a progress update on that promise, not its own line item.
There are limitations to this approach, but it keeps things from getting unwieldy.
What about new priorities that weren't in the campaign platform?
Out of scope. The purpose of this project is to measure follow-through on the specific policies that New Yorkers voted for. New priorities are definitely worth tracking (just not here).
What counts as "progress"?
Formal government action that materially moves a promise forward: funding allocated, legislation advancing, rules implemented, programs launching, etc. Speeches, press releases, and stated intentions don't count until something actually happens.
What do the status categories mean?
- Delivered — Done. Uncork the champagne!
- Gaining Ground — Meaningful steps taken, things are on track.
- Early Days — Let him cook.
- Headwinds — Facing real obstacles like Albany or a budget gap.
- Blocked — Promise unable to be fulfilled. Oof.
A quick note: these labels are a shorthand, not a verdict. Policy progress is messy and nonlinear, and a "Headwinds" today can become "Gaining Ground" next month. Always worth reading the full context on each promise page before drawing conclusions.
Can I make a suggestion?
Please do! If I'm missing something, got something wrong, or you have context I don't, reach out: hello@themamdanimeter.com
Can you personally tell me when there are progress updates, so I don't have to keep checking the site?
Sure thing! Sign up for this free newsletter, and I will email you once a week with an update.