I don't live in the City of New York. I did live there for about 20 years, from 1984-2000 and again from 2005-2010. I grew up in the suburbs of Westchester so I spent a good amount of time in "the city" as a teenager. Going to concerts, museums, hanging out, underage drinking. I even got into Studio 54 when I was 16. The 70s were a messy time for New York. Nothing was functioning. The city was broke. It seemed bleak. I went away to college in Kansas City. When I came back after graduation I was determined to move into New York. Brooklyn was the obvious choice in the mid eighties. It was cheap, a bunch of emerging artists were moving in. It was also a time of transition. It would be the end of the Ed Koch era. He tried to run for a fourth term but lost to David Dinkins in 1989. We all expected that would signal the beginning of a more progressive era for New York. Koch laid the groundwork and Dinkins would fulfill the liberal agenda. Unfortunately the opposite happened. Crime spiraled and became the number one issue. Conflicts with the police union led to a protest and riot, instigated in part by Rudy Giuliani. Dinkins lost his reelection bid to Giuliani on the promise to end the crime wave. As artists we were opposed to Giuliani as his policies around law and order also meant repression against creative expression and also his obviously racist policiing programs. He did reduce crime dramatically. Which seemed to confirm that the police when they want to can maintain law and order and when the don't it's because they want something else. So while I am hopeful for New York with the primary victory of Mamdani, I am also concerned the deeply corrupt institutions in city government and their puppet master could undermine his agenda. He has so far countered the unscrupulous money people with a hopeful and people oriented campaign. But much like Koch and Dinkins there is always the specter of rich assholes wanting it their way or no way.  Image is a chalk mandala in St Pete. Part of the Global Love Project