Mamdani defends Cea Weaver pick as report reveals prior City Council opposition to her nomination
Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed longtime housing activist Cea Weaver to lead the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants despite resurfaced social‑media posts in which she described homeownership as a “weapon of white supremacy” and advocated treating property as a collective good, drawing criticism from federal officials and editorial boards. Mamdani defended Weaver as a principled tenant advocate and said the administration knew of the posts, while Assemblyman Kalman Yeger and other City Council members say the council signaled in 2021 it would not have confirmed her earlier nomination to the City Planning Commission, which was withdrawn.
📌 Key Facts
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Cea Weaver as Director of New York City’s Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants and publicly defended her as a “proven principled and tireless fighter” needed to hold law‑breaking landlords accountable; Weaver called the “revitalized” office a “new era” of standing up for tenants.
- Resurfaced social‑media posts and public comments (2017–2021) show Weaver called homeownership “a weapon of white supremacy,” advocated treating private property as a “collective good” via shared‑equity models, urged electing more communists, and included statements about impoverishing the white middle class — remarks that have drawn public condemnation.
- Officials including representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Washington Post editorial board have publicly condemned Weaver’s past posts; Fox News quoted DOJ Civil Rights Division commentary that it is “on high alert” and may consider legal scrutiny of the administration’s agenda.
- Mamdani declined to address the substance of Weaver’s prior posts while reiterating his support for her tenant‑protection record; Weaver told local TV that some posts were “regretful” and “not something I would say today,” and said she wants both renters and owners to have safe, affordable housing.
- The mayor’s office (spokesperson Dora Pekec) said Weaver’s past posts were known to the administration before her appointment, unlike a prior official who resigned over previously unknown antisemitic posts.
- Reporting and Assemblyman Kalman Yeger say New York City Council members signaled in 2021 they would not confirm Weaver to the City Planning Commission because she was viewed as too radical; her earlier Planning Commission nomination was withdrawn after council pressure (which Weaver has said was her decision), and Yeger criticized Mamdani for appointing her to a role that does not require Council confirmation.
- Weaver will play a central role implementing Mamdani’s “public stewardship” plan to pressure negligent landlords to sell properties to the city if they cannot pay fines, and Mamdani has signaled intent to pursue precedent‑setting action against a specific Brooklyn landlord in bankruptcy.
📊 Relevant Data
In New York City, the homeownership rate for White families is 46.6%, compared to 32.7% for Black families and 19.5% for Hispanic/Latinx families, based on recent data.
Housing and Business Ownership — NYC.gov
In New York City between 2020 and 2021, Asian households had the highest homeownership rate at 45.2%, followed by White households at 43.3%, with Black and Hispanic households having lower rates.
State of Homeowners and Their Homes — NYU Furman Center
Historical discriminatory banking practices, including redlining and subprime lending, have contributed to racial wealth gaps in New York City, with homeownership playing a key role in these disparities.
Spotlight on: The Racial Wealth Gap in New York City — Robin Hood
In New York City in 2023, Hispanics had the highest eviction filing rate, which was twice that of White people and three times that of Black people.
Eviction Rates in NYC Down Since COVID-19 — Columbia News Service
In New York State in 2023, White homeownership rates were 13 percentage points higher than Asian rates, 34 percentage points higher than Hispanic rates, and 35 percentage points higher than Black rates.
As Racial Homeownership Disparities Persist, State's Mortgage Agency Increases Lending to Minority and Low-Income Borrowers — Office of the New York State Comptroller
📊 Analysis & Commentary (7)
"The piece reads as a pro‑Mamdani commentary arguing his first‑day restructuring and appointments constitute a bold, corrective reset of New York City government while warning he must manage predictable political and security backlash."
"A critical City Journal essay argues that Mayor Zohran Mamdani and allied progressive networks are deliberately constructing a modern 'far‑left' political machine—through fast executive action and loyalist appointments—that risks politicizing city institutions, provoking legal challenges, and undermining effective governance."
"A City Journal opinion piece critiques Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s choice and priorities for NYC schools, arguing the new chancellor should concentrate on academic rigor, core instruction and accountability rather than centering integration or ideological reforms."
"A pro‑landlord opinion piece criticizing Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s appointment of Cea Weaver and New York’s tenant‑heavy laws, arguing those policies (eviction protections, rent‑stabilization and limits on capital‑improvement rent pass‑throughs) punish property owners, spur disinvestment and require protections for landlords rather than further tenant‑centric reforms."
"The City Journal piece critiques Mayor Mamdani’s appointment of Cea Weaver—saying her anti‑homeownership remarks are rightly shocking but rooted in once‑widespread progressive thinking—and warns that normalizing such rhetoric risks bad policy and political blowback while urging substantive debate over housing rather than mere outrage."
"An opinion piece arguing that FTC Chair Lina Khan’s aggressive, anti‑business enforcement playbook is being applied at the city level through Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s personnel and tenant‑protection choices (e.g., Cea Weaver), and warning this will produce economic harm, legal battles, and political backlash."
"A City Journal critique reads Mayor Mamdani’s evasive Gracie Mansion reply about apartment security‑deposit/tenant policy as emblematic of his administration’s preference for provocative hires and symbolism (notably the Cea Weaver appointment), arguing this approach undermines practical governance, invites legal exposure, and risks hurting the very tenants it claims to help."
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Assemblyman Kalman Yeger says the NYC Council signaled in 2021 it would not confirm Cea Weaver to the City Planning Commission because members viewed her as too radical, leading to the withdrawal of her nomination.
- Yeger states that 'a good number' of council members opposed Weaver, citing both her comments (including calling homeownership a 'weapon of white supremacy') and her work with far‑left organizations.
- Weaver’s earlier nomination to the Planning Commission was made by the Public Advocate and then pulled after council pressure, though Weaver has publicly framed the withdrawal as her own decision.
- Yeger characterizes Mamdani’s current move as appointing 'a communist to a position that doesn't require confirmation,' contrasting it with the failed confirmed post.
- Cea Weaver’s years‑old social media posts included calls to 'impoverish the *white* middle class,' treat private property as a 'collective good,' and describe homeownership as 'a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as "wealth building public policy."'
- Officials in the U.S. Department of Justice and the Washington Post editorial board have publicly condemned Weaver’s past posts.
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani, when asked about the controversy, declined to address the substance of the posts but defended Weaver’s record of 'standing up for tenants across the city and state.'
- Weaver told a local TV station that some of the posts were 'regretful' and 'not something I would say today,' and said she wants both renters and owners to have safe, affordable housing.
- The mayor’s office, via spokesperson Dora Pekec, said Weaver’s past posts were known to the administration before her appointment, unlike a prior official who resigned over previously unknown antisemitic posts.
- The article reiterates that Weaver will be central to implementing Mamdani’s 'public stewardship' plan to pressure negligent landlords into selling properties to the city if they cannot pay fines, and notes Mamdani’s plan to take 'precedent-setting' action against a specific Brooklyn landlord in bankruptcy.
- Cea Weaver, a longtime housing activist and Democratic Socialists of America member, has been appointed Director of New York City’s Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
- Resurfaced past posts show Weaver wrote in 2019 that 'private property including and kind of ESPECIALLY homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as ‘wealth building’ public policy' and in 2017 called to 'elect more communists.'
- In a 2021 Democratic Socialists of America video, Weaver advocated shifting from viewing property as an individualized good to a 'collective good' via shared‑equity models and said white families and some families of color who are homeowners will need a 'different relationship to property.'
- U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon told Fox News the DOJ Civil Rights Division is 'on high alert' over Mamdani’s 'radical agenda' and 'will not hesitate to take legal action to protect the civil rights of New York City residents.'
- Mamdani publicly defended the pick, calling Weaver a 'proven principled and tireless fighter' needed to hold law‑breaking landlords accountable, while Weaver said the 'revitalized' office marks a 'new era' of standing up for tenants.
- Mamdani’s first executive order as mayor continues all prior NYC executive orders that predate former Mayor Eric Adams’ Sept. 26, 2024 federal indictment, while revoking or requiring reissuance of those issued after that date.
- He frames the cutoff at Adams’ indictment as a moment when many New Yorkers lost faith in city politics and says the move is meant to mark a "new era" focused on public needs over the mayor’s personal interests.
- The administration is formally creating an "Office of Mass Engagement" to consolidate and coordinate civic engagement work that had been siloed across different city offices and initiatives.
- Tascha Van Auken, a longtime organizer with experience on Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and in New York City DSA, will lead the Office of Mass Engagement.
- Mamdani credits Van Auken with building his mayoral campaign operation, claiming she mobilized more than 100,000 volunteers who knocked on over 3 million doors citywide.
- Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is expected to appoint Kamar Samuels, current Manhattan superintendent and longtime NYC educator, as the next New York City schools chancellor.
- Samuels has been a key proponent of school mergers to promote racial integration and worked to dismantle the existing Gifted & Talented program, aligning with Mamdani’s pledge to reshape education policy.
- Mamdani plans to revive a Bill de Blasio-era proposal to end the Gifted & Talented test for kindergartners and instead use a universal test in second grade.
- Samuels supports expanding the International Baccalaureate program as part of his philosophy of broadening opportunities while investing in teachers.
- Samuels would replace outgoing Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, who reportedly sought to remain in the role.