Heastie: ‘We’re not going to leave the city on a ledge’

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said he’s confident the Legislature won’t leave New York City in a fiscal lurch as it grapples with a projected $10 billion budget deficit for the year ahead. 

Heastie spoke to reporters after the state Democratic Party nominating convention in Syracuse on Friday – just days before Mayor Zohran Mamdani will head to Albany for “Tin Cup Day” on Wednesday, appealing to the Legislature for aid in the upcoming state budget.

“Of course, I want to be helpful,” Heastie said. “I want to make sure the city’s whole… I want to do all I can to make sure the city’s on solid ground and I think we’ll get there.” 

Heastie said he’s having ongoing discussions with the mayor and First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan, and credited them with exploring myriad ways to rein in expenses.

Mamdani has suggested the state must hike personal income taxes for millionaires and billionaires to help plug the city’s budget gap – and will be forced to make cuts if Hochul and the Legislature don’t agree to higher taxes for the wealthy.

But Heastie said he doesn’t think negotiations about the city’s finances will get to that point, adding Mamdani and Hochul have also “been having great conversations.”

“He’s been there for a month and a couple of days, he’s getting his understanding of the city’s expenses in order,” Heastie said. “At the end of the day, we will be fine, the city will be fine. We’re not going to leave the city on a ledge.”