20th Anniversary
‘A sacred mission:’ City & State celebrates 20 years with a bash
Hochul, James and other subjects of our stories roasted two decades of local journalism.
Gov. Kathy Hochul feted City & State for holding the powerful accountable – including her – for 20 years. Rita Thompson
Political luminaries covered in City & State New York turned out Tuesday night to celebrate the political magazine’s 20th anniversary.
The event, held at Dramma in Midtown Manhattan, featured speeches from Gov. Kathy Hochul, state Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, along with a special video message from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“I want to thank (City & State founder) Tom Allon for having the vision many years ago. A journalist to his core, he understands that free press is a sacred, sacred mission, and informing the public and holding the powerful accountable – which I guess means me,” Hochul said.
The governor also joked about poaching City & State’s own reporters. “I'm tonight offering jobs to Kate Lisa and Rebecca Lewis in the administration, so you can stop harassing me at press conferences,” the governor said. “Come on in, come on in. I'm sure it pays better.”
Hochul touted her support for a $90 million payroll tax credit for local newsrooms and spoke about the challenges facing journalists, including hostility from the White House. “It is deeply shocking that the president of the United States would literally ban news outlets because of their coverage, he just disagrees with them,” she said. “Banning news outlets because they're too negative. I didn't really know that was an option!”
“That was a joke,” she added.
Menin continued the roast in her own speech, joking that “the Fourth Estate is much more than what sounds like the target of a new pied-à-terre tax.”
She also took aim at City & State’s new premium newsletter, Heard Around Town, and its editor. “You continue to provide absolutely essential information, like what's going on in Peter Sterne's group chats, or who might run for governor in 2034. … Like the New Yorker magazine, City & State now features some very good fiction in its new section, Heard Around Town,” she said.
In her own speech, James highlighted the breadth of City & State’s coverage: “City & State knows that good journalism still requires what it always has: knowing your subject, knowing New York, knowing our history, knowing our birth dates, knowing our partners, knowing when we got married, knowing when we got divorced, knowing who doesn't like one another, and knowing when an elected official or the comms team is trying to spin you around.”
Mamdani zeroed in on the magazine’s (in)famous power lists. “You shine a light on stories that too often go untold. So even though you ranked me number 51 on the list of most powerful New Yorkers the year I was elected mayor, outlets like yours are essential for public trust,” he said in a pre-recorded video. “To be fair, no one was expecting Jim Walden to topple a political dynasty either.”
“And a special congrats to Editor-in-Chief Jeff Coltin,” he added. “I can’t walk down the street without people saying how much I look like you.”
.@NYCMayor wishes City & State a happy 20th Anniversary, but not without reminding us we ranked him #51 in the 2025 NYC Power 100 https://t.co/joWDXWtbvl
— City & State NY (@CityAndStateNY) September 30, 2026
During the event, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal presented City & State with an official proclamation stating that Sept. 29, 2026 was “City & State Appreciation Day,” while Council Member Gale Brewer presented an official City Council citation honoring City & State.
Other elected officials and prominent politicos in attendance included state Sens. Erik Bottcher and Cordell Cleare, Assembly Members Linda Rosenthal, Grace Lee, Tony Simone and Rebecca Seawright, Council Members Shaun Abreu, Nantasha Williams, Harvey Epstein, Ty Hankerson and Carl Wilson, former Rep. Carolyn Maloney, former Council Member Joe Borelli and former mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa.
