Mamdani and Ossé make peace, plan to team up against deed theft

“Ruthless” no more? New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called City Council Member Chi Ossé last week, two City Hall sources confirmed to City & State. They now have an event in the works to highlight deed theft. 

The issue has been a priority for Ossé, who – like Mamdani – wants to prove the democratic socialists care about homeowners too, not just renters. Ossé, who represents Bedford-Stuyvesant and parts of Crown Heights, might be able to help the mayor repair relationships with Black homeowners irked by Mamdani’s proposal to raise property taxes to close the city’s budget gap. The two also plan to appear together Wednesday for a lower-profile housing announcement in Ossé’s district.

Before Mamdani launched his mayoral campaign, Ossé was New York’s most successful influencer elected official. The youngest member of the City Council, he successfully wielded front-facing videos to become New York City famous and to pass a law ending most broker fees. Ossé was an early-ish endorser of Mamdani’s campaign, lending Mamdani his social media chops. But the relationship grew tense when Ossé seriously considered challenging House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries – an avowed enemy of the Democratic Socialists of America. Mamdani went to great lengths to stop Ossé from launching a campaign, arguing that Ossé would lose, and the effort would distract from the left’s big chance to show they can govern effectively with a socialist mayor. The whole ordeal famously got Ossé disinvited from Mamdani’s election night party in November.

Since then, the two have appeared at a handful of events together, but the direct phone call and deed theft event collab may mark the turning of a new leaf.