By: Daisy Fay Buchanan

As the New York Post reported, former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly delivered a blistering warning on Sunday over the prospect of New York City electing socialist mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani – telling WABC 770 AM’s “Cats Roundtable,” the top-rated talk station in the nation, that it would be “a tragedy of major proportions” for the greatest city in America.

Kelly, 83, the longest-serving police commissioner in city history under both Mike Bloomberg and David Dinkins, told host John Catsimatidis that Mamdani is “totally unqualified” and would “gut the Police Department” to pursue “a whole list of wacky things.”

“New York is the capital of capitalism,” Kelly said on WABC 770, “and to have someone so totally unqualified… this man has basically not had a job. I’m very concerned about the future of New York if he gets elected.”

Kelly singled out Mamdani’s plan to create a separate Department of Community Safety to deal with the mentally ill and homeless – a move he says would inevitably strip resources from the NYPD. “There is no question about it – he would have to reduce the size of the Police Department to staff that organization,” Kelly told WABC listeners. “It’s just not worth the chance – a roll of the dice – to have a socialist mayor in the greatest city in America.”

The NY Post noted that Kelly believes Mamdani’s socialist leanings would drive residents and businesses out of New York. “Who is he going to use for a model? Venezuela? Nicaragua?” Kelly said. “He’ll just run out of other people’s money. That’s what happens with socialism. And then you’ll see an exodus of big numbers of people going to sunnier climes.”

Kelly also warned that the NYPD is already hemorrhaging officers, with retirements and resignations “at the highest rate” in years. Reducing headcount further, he argued, would be disastrous for public safety. He praised current Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch – who served under him – as “terrific” in her leadership.

The Post reported that Mamdani, 33, has recently tried to soften his earlier rhetoric about police. In a 2020 statement, he called the NYPD “racist, anti-queer, and a major threat to public safety,” but during a recent WNYC interview he walked that back, saying, “No, I do not” still stand by those remarks. Now, with an NYPD security detail assigned to him after receiving threats, Mamdani claims officers are “critical partners” in creating public safety.

Still, Kelly – who co-founded the center-right group Save Our City – urged a large turnout in November to block the Democratic Socialist from taking City Hall. “Quality of life is key,” he told WABC 770, warning that Mamdani’s agenda would harm the city’s economy and security for years to come.

The Mamdani campaign declined comment to the Post about Kelly’s remarks, but the former top cop made it clear on WABC 770 that he sees this election as a turning point. “It’s so hurtful to New York to try to assume that type of government,” Kelly said. “That’s what he’s preached his whole public life – short as it is – and that’s exactly what he’ll do if elected.”