New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is supporting newly-appointed housing official Cea Weaver amidst criticism regarding her past social media posts. The posts, made several years ago, contained statements advocating for the seizure of private property and linking homeownership to white supremacy.
Appointment and Role
Weaver, a long-term tenant activist, was appointed by Mayor Mamdani last week to serve as the executive director of the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants. Mayor Mamdani has indicated plans to strengthen this office to undertake actions against landlords found to be negligent.
Public and Official Reactions
Weaver's deleted social media posts have generated condemnation from officials within the U.S. Department of Justice and the editorial board of The Washington Post. The posts, which have recently circulated on social media, included calls to view private property as a "collective good" and to "impoverish the white middle class." A tweet from 2017 characterized homeownership as "a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as 'wealth building public policy.'"
Former Mayor Eric Adams commented that the remarks displayed "extreme privilege and total detachment from reality."
Mayor Mamdani's Stance
When questioned about the matter, Mayor Mamdani defended Weaver's established record of "standing up for tenants across the city and state" but did not address the content of her specific past posts.
Weaver's Statement
In an interview with a local television station, Weaver acknowledged that some of the messages were "regretful" and stated they were "not something I would say today." She further added, "I want to make sure that everybody has a safe and affordable place to live, whether they rent or own, and that is something I'm laser-focused on in this new role."
Administration's Awareness
A mayoral spokesperson, Dora Pekec, confirmed that the administration was aware of Weaver's previous social media posts prior to her appointment. This situation differs from a prior event where Mayor Mamdani accepted the resignation of Catherine Almonte Da Costa after the Anti-Defamation League publicized antisemitic social media posts from over a decade ago, of which Mamdani stated he was not aware.
Policy Implementation
Weaver previously led the Housing Justice for All coalition, which has been credited with contributing to the passage of tenant protection legislation in New York State in 2019. In her current role, she is expected to play a central part in advancing one of Mayor Mamdani's campaign proposals: identifying negligent landlords and requiring them to negotiate the sale of their properties to the city if they are unable to pay fines for violations.
This "public stewardship" proposal has been met with opposition from landlord groups and skepticism from other city governmental bodies. Mayor Mamdani reiterated his administration's commitment to this initiative, citing "precedent-setting" action against a Brooklyn apartment building owner involved in bankruptcy proceedings shortly after his inauguration. Weaver acknowledged the complexities, stating, "New York is home to some of the most valuable real estate in the world. Everything about New York politics is about that fact."