By: Jordan Baker

A leading voice for New York City’s business community is sounding the alarm over Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s early approach to economic policy, warning that his transition team appears hostile toward private employers and dismissive of traditional economic development, according to the New York Post.

Kathryn Wylde, the outgoing president and CEO of the Partnership for the City of New York, said she is increasingly uneasy about the direction coming out of City Hall. Speaking Sunday on 77 WABC’s “Cats Roundtable,” Wylde told host John Catsimatidis that rhetoric from Mamdani’s inner circle suggests job creation and growth may be taking a back seat to ideology, the New York Post reported.

“I think there’s reason to be nervous,” Wylde said, explaining that the message she’s hearing so far is that the administration does not plan to prioritize economic development, according to the New York Post. Instead, she said Mamdani’s team is focused on what it calls “economic justice,” a term she argued remains vague and troubling for employers who power the city’s economy.

Wylde, who also serves on Mamdani’s transition committee for economic and workforce development, said the approach reflects a misunderstanding of how critical sustained growth and job creation are to New York City’s survival, the New York Post noted. She stressed that the city must actively support the private sector to ensure it can “constantly grow” and generate opportunity.

Much of Wylde’s concern centers on the tone coming from Mamdani’s transition leadership, particularly co-chair Lina Khan, the former chair of the Federal Trade Commission. According to the New York Post, Wylde said the language coming from City Hall increasingly paints businesses and employers as adversaries rather than partners.

“Much of the language coming out of City Hall right now sounds like business [and] employers are the enemy,” Wylde warned, as quoted by the New York Post.

Khan, known nationally for her aggressive stance against large corporations, has built her reputation on targeting alleged corporate abuses such as price gouging and excessive fees. Bloomberg previously reported that Khan is exploring policies aimed at curbing algorithmic price discrimination, surveillance pricing, and so-called junk fees — initiatives that could have wide-reaching consequences for businesses operating in the city, the New York Post said.

She is also reportedly looking to expand the power of the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to rein in technology companies, mirroring her enforcement-heavy approach during her time at the FTC, according to the New York Post.

Despite her criticism, Wylde expressed cautious optimism that the relationship between City Hall and the business community does not have to devolve into open conflict. She said that ultimately it will be up to Mamdani himself to strike a more balanced tone and reassure employers that they still have a seat at the table, the New York Post reported.

“I’m hoping that the mayor is going to counter that and keep faith with his commitment to build a broad coalition and to work with the business community,” Wylde told Catsimatidis, according to the New York Post. “But so far we haven’t heard that clear message.”

Wylde did praise Mamdani for several early decisions, including retaining Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and keeping Dr. Mitchell Katz at the helm of NYC Health + Hospitals. She also applauded the mayor’s expanded child care initiative, dubbed “2-Care,” which he recently announced alongside Gov. Kathy Hochul, as well as some of his housing-related appointments, the New York Post reported.

Still, Wylde described Mamdani’s economic development agenda as a glaring weak spot. She emphasized that business leaders are willing — and eager — to collaborate with the new administration if given the opportunity, according to the New York Post.

“The business community is prepared to step up and work with [Mamdani],” she said.

Wylde is set to be succeeded as head of the Partnership by former Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop. A City Hall spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the New York Post reported.