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A New York Magazine columnist sounded the alarm Wednesday on frustrations about democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani not appointing a Black deputy mayor — and argued the mayor should understand the criticism.
"Mayor Mamdani needs to listen to the grumbling members of the political class who are upset that he has not named a deputy mayor who is African American. Whether or not he makes such an appointment, Mamdani should understand the roots of that criticism," New York Magazine columnist Errol Louis wrote.
"Whether or not he makes such an appointment, Mamdani should understand the roots of that criticism. It is not simply about one person in one position — rather, the complaints spring from a deep worry about a decades-long mass exodus of Black families out of New York," he added.
The New York Times published a report in January headlined, "None of Mamdani’s Deputy Mayors Are Black. It Has Become a Problem," which said some Black and Latino leaders are concerned that "they are being denied access to power" under the new mayor, who ran on a hard-left platform and was celebrated in the press for being the first Muslim and first South Asian mayor in the city's history.
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Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, during a Bloomberg Television interview at City Hall in New York, on Jan. 29, 2026. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Louis cited New York Times reporting that found the Black population in the city has declined by 200,000 in the last 20 years.
He argued that criticism from L. Joy Williams, who was cited in the Times article, wasn't entirely fair, as Louis argued that Mamdani was building a City Hall inner circle that "reflects the coalition that brought him to power."
The columnist acknowledged that Mamdani had deputy mayors of Lebanese, Syrian, Pakistani, and Egyptian decent, among others.
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a press conference at Deno's Wonder Wheel on Coney Island in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn, New York City, on Feb. 15, 2026. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu/Getty Images)
However, Louis warned that Harlem saw roughly 11,000 Black residents leave between 2010 and 2020, noting that the area gained 18,000 White residents in the same decade.
"It’s part of a nationwide trend of Black populations shifting from northern cities to Atlanta, Houston, Charlotte, and other southern cities, in what the Washington Post describes as a reversal of the Great Migration that brought Blacks north throughout the 20th century," he wrote.
"Mamdani will continue to hear demands for Black representation in key strategic posts at City Hall, especially after the chaotic one-term mayoralty of Eric Adams," Louis continued. "But the deeper reality is that Black political power, which helped lift Mamdani to victory, will continue to dwindle without a conscious effort to support and stabilize homeowners, a subject on which the mayor, thus far, has been relatively silent."
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Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, during an announcement on junk fees in the Susan and John Hess Family Theater at The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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The mayor's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Hanna Panreck is an associate editor at Fox News.
